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insectivore

Definition of insectivorenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insectivore Moreover, in every case, the ancestors were either insectivores or carnivores, with insect-eaters making the shift about three times more often than carnivores. Rupendra Brahambhatt, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2025 Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025 The lemurs and tenrecs of Madagascar, for example, are descended from primates and insectivores that used to be much more widespread. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025 This tiny insectivore has an exceptionally fast metabolism, demanding near-constant feeding to survive. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 Mar. 2025 Among the species declines that have led to billions fewer birds in North America over the last half-century, grassland birds and aerial insectivores have been hit especially hard, having lost many bugs that once fed them. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insectivore
Noun
  • The absence of tooth marks on the mandibles does not imply that other parts of the bodies were not consumed by hyenas or other carnivores.
    CBS News, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The hominin bones and animal remains make up an assemblage of fossils that appear to come from the den of a carnivore, perhaps a hyena.
    Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Los Angeles County animal services officers recovered approximately 200 ducks from a box truck in Palmdale on Wednesday morning.
    CBS News, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The shelter also had problems serving the existing community, taking in fewer animals due to difficulties moving them through adoption or rescue, and placing greater emphasis on caring for sick or injured animals.
    Devan Patel, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Card-carrying herbivores, seed-eaters, and omnivores switched to a cicada-heavy diet during a brood emergence in Washington, D.C., in 2021, according to Martha Weiss, a professor of biology at George Washington University.
    Sarah Henry, The Courier-Journal, 8 July 2025
  • But slugs can be beneficial omnivores that feed on algae, fungi, decomposing organic matter and plants.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
Noun
  • Each envelope containing the clue was inside a box filled with some frightful creature — rats, snakes, a tarantula, millipedes, and cockroaches.
    Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
  • In a first, researchers found a chunk of meat from a woolly rhinoceros — a creature similar in size to modern white rhinoceros, but with a shaggy coat of hair — preserved inside the stomach of one of the pups.
    Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • If your kids enjoy watching critters chow down, be sure to consult the feeding schedules at the various habitats.
    Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Never place your luggage on the hotel room floor, bed, or furniture, as these surfaces may harbor bed bugs and other unwelcome critters.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Abby’s Magical Beasties, where one of the beasties goes missing, and Abby must problem-solve.
    Sarah Scott, Parents, 3 Nov. 2025
  • In a horrific twist, Kasumi (Kana Hanazawa) wakes up way too early — and thus has to battle the ferocious beasties to survive.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Money speaks, the land listens, where the Anarchist skulked, where the horsethief plied his trade, we fishers of Americans will cast our nets of perfect ten-acre mesh, leveled and varmint-proofed, ready to build on.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Another disadvantage: Adding banana peels directly to the soil may attract unwelcome varmints.
    Marin Independent Journal, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • This could include, but is not limited to, major vermin contamination.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado January 14, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Owls have made themselves at home in the rafters, while the bones of dead vermin lie on the empty floor.
    Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Insectivore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insectivore. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

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