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ant

Pronunciation: /ant/

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Definition of ant

noun

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

Phrases

have ants in one's pants

informal be fidgety or restless: what’s the matter with you, always fidgeting—you got ants in your pants?

Origin:

Old English ǣmete of West Germanic origin; related to German Ameise. Compare with emmet

ant in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ant in the US English dictionary

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