as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
houses in the town commonly have second stories that beetle over the ground floors, and the overhang is known as a "bump"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of beetle
Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Jonathan Carver, suggest the name may also refer to beetle larvae emerging from thawing tree bark.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026
These small beetles are sometimes confused with ladybeetles (which feed on bean beetle eggs), thanks to their similar shape and black spots.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beetle
Verb
Persistent drought has led to beetle infestations in the state’s ponderosa and piñon pine forests.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Jonathan Carver, suggest the name may also refer to beetle larvae emerging from thawing tree bark.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
The company is known for harvesting trees destroyed by the recent beetle infestation and turning them into tables and dressers.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026
These small beetles are sometimes confused with ladybeetles (which feed on bean beetle eggs), thanks to their similar shape and black spots.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beetle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beetle
Verb
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Under the flaps of his jacket there was a small tear in his T-shirt, directly over his left nipple, which protruded like a knot of purple rope.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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And in turn, the 867-foot monolith protruding from the surrounding Wyoming prairie like the stump of the world’s largest tree became a big draw for tourists.—
Marnie Hunter,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Alas, Shao Khan smashes Cole’s head with a hammer, Gallagher style, and shoves his body into a vat of acid.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
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The victim said that a man, identified in documents as 43-year-old Lance Tolbert, had emerged from one of the stalls and began attacking him with a hammer.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Spikes of speedwell look lovely poking up along the edges of paths and garden beds in summer.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
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Some birds also will poke holes in the ground looking for tasty critters.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Does someone’s head get crushed with a mallet?—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
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Using the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin, pound pork to a ¼- to ½-inch thickness.—
Wini Moranville,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her stomach bulged beneath her I ❤ FLORIDA boatneck and her face was round and waxy-pale.—
Stephen King,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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But if the gland expands or droops, which is common with age, a portion of it can escape those confines, bulging out below the jawbone and appearing as a lump in the neck.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The Rio Grande was twenty feet away, shining between stalks of river cane.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
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Renovated in 2023, the traditional Goan style continues in guest rooms with parquet floors, cane weave chairs, antique-style wardrobes with mirrors and headboards, and furnished balconies or terraces.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Or a really mad hiker with a sledgehammer.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
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Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty after a photo circulated online showing one of the soldiers taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in the area of the Christian village of Debel, in southern Lebanon.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Noun
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While many college corners lean on lax officiating to grab and maul, Johnson stays disciplined.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Play only stops if the ball goes out of bounds, there is an infraction or the ball is buried in a ruck or a maul — when the player with the ball is stopped, but not tackled and is joined by at least one player from his own team.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beetle. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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