as in shrimp
a person of no importance or influence
the magazine's editor in chief was notorious for treating staffers as insects, often not even bothering to learn their names
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Recent Examples of insects
John McCutcheon, a biology professor at Arizona State University, studies the symbiotic relationships between insects and the invisible bacteria that live inside their cells.
—
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Wipe it down with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill any insects and to remove sap.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Feb. 2026
The insects showed adaptations in genes associated with stress response, according to the paper.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
She was homeschooled until the age of 12 while her father did fieldwork on insects as an entomologist.
—Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The third and final is chitosan, which is created from the shells of crustaceans and insects.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
Small flying insects concentrated in the dish washing room, and three types of sauce had expired.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
Pest Control Dealing with unwanted ants in the home or other pesky insects, specifically within your household plants?
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
Dead insects were found in one of the freezers, salami and Lunchables were held at an unsafe temperature, and boxes of chips were stored on the floor.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2026
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Wipe it down with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill any insects and to remove sap.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Feb. 2026
The insects showed adaptations in genes associated with stress response, according to the paper.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
She was homeschooled until the age of 12 while her father did fieldwork on insects as an entomologist.
—Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The third and final is chitosan, which is created from the shells of crustaceans and insects.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
Small flying insects concentrated in the dish washing room, and three types of sauce had expired.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
Pest Control Dealing with unwanted ants in the home or other pesky insects, specifically within your household plants?
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
Dead insects were found in one of the freezers, salami and Lunchables were held at an unsafe temperature, and boxes of chips were stored on the floor.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insects
Noun
-
The Blind Owl is extremely dense, brimming with metaphors and ciphers and symbols.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Like Dostoyevsky, Capote doesn’t portray his killers as demonic ciphers, instead capturing their messy complexity.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Monte Vista boasts a pair of solid lightweights in Alexa Malinis (100) and Katara Ortiz (105).—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Hughes is one of the world's top lightweights in MMA, the sport where McGregor built his following and name.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Where else could award winning writers pop off about nothing at all, and nobodies could rattle the ivory towers?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
-
Professional athletes, however, aren’t nobodies.—
Joe Kozlowski,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The ditch that’s up to 19 feet deep dwarfs the heavy machinery inside of it.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Plus Brock and Sindri, the gear upgrade dwarves.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insects. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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