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ant

Syllabification: (ant)
Pronunciation: /ant/
Translate ant | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of ant

noun

  • a small insect, often with a sting, that usually lives in a complex social colony with one or more breeding queens. It is wingless except for fertile adults, which often form large mating swarms, and is proverbial for industriousness.
    • Family Formicidae, order Hymenoptera: several subfamilies

Phrases

have ants in one's pants

informal be fidgety or restless.

Origin:

Old English ǣmete; related to German Ameise. Compare with emmet

ant in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ant in the British & World English dictionary