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
Besides carnivorous snake-trees, majestic candlehawks, and various glittering quasi-insects, the Scythian biome includes a species called the basket-men, who look like a cross between great apes and praying mantises.
—
Stephanie Burt, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
The housekeeping team fogs the balés every week to keep most of the biting insects at bay, and gardens teeming with mosquito-repelling lemongrass and zodia plants help keep them at a distance.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
The beetles take advantage of the fact that the construction workers who finished the house just a few months earlier miscalculated and left too much space between the doors and the ground, failing to consider insects or the rainy season.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Routine gutter cleaning prevents water damage to your roof and siding, protects your foundation from pooling water, avoids mold, mildew and rot, and keeps pests like insects and rodents from nesting in the debris.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Bed bugs are small reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of sleeping humans and animals.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
The University of Minnesota’s entomology department is bringing us into the wide world of bugs, with games, crafts, educational opportunities and, yes, live insects.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
Some eat worms, some smaller fish, some frogs, some mice, some insects.
—Mike Kurlansky, Outside, 29 Mar. 2026
Floating debris such as leaves, pollen, and insects often accumulates on the water surface before eventually sinking.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026
Stephanie Burt, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
The housekeeping team fogs the balés every week to keep most of the biting insects at bay, and gardens teeming with mosquito-repelling lemongrass and zodia plants help keep them at a distance.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
The beetles take advantage of the fact that the construction workers who finished the house just a few months earlier miscalculated and left too much space between the doors and the ground, failing to consider insects or the rainy season.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Routine gutter cleaning prevents water damage to your roof and siding, protects your foundation from pooling water, avoids mold, mildew and rot, and keeps pests like insects and rodents from nesting in the debris.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Bed bugs are small reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of sleeping humans and animals.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
The University of Minnesota’s entomology department is bringing us into the wide world of bugs, with games, crafts, educational opportunities and, yes, live insects.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
Some eat worms, some smaller fish, some frogs, some mice, some insects.
—Mike Kurlansky, Outside, 29 Mar. 2026
Floating debris such as leaves, pollen, and insects often accumulates on the water surface before eventually sinking.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insects
Noun
-
As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the lightweights, Cash McClurg (108 pounds) and Emilio Escobar (120) won titles, the latter winning 21-5 for a technical fall.—
Breven Honda,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 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
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Seattle’s John Schneider and New England’s Eliot Wolf rose up from young nobodies to graduate from Green Bay Packers University, too.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The Dodgers’ $850-million annual revenue dwarfs competitors like the Diamondbacks at $324 million, exemplifying the financial gulf driving owners’ desire for cost controls.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Beyond rock and ice The finding of L 98-59 d challenges the long-standing astronomical belief that small exoplanets must be either gas dwarfs or water worlds covered in ice and oceans.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insects. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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