pest
1 Americannoun
noun
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a person or thing that annoys, esp by imposing itself when it is not wanted; nuisance
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any organism that damages crops, injures or irritates livestock or man, or reduces the fertility of land
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( as modifier )
pest control
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rare an epidemic disease or pestilence
Other Word Forms
- de-pest verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of pest
First recorded in 1545–55, pest is from the Latin word pestis plague
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some counties have noticed the major increase through their mosquito traps or from calls for service regarding the flying pests.
From Los Angeles Times
Aoki commissions the acerbic Jack to find and return his painting discreetly: “Nose around. Be a bit of a pest. There’s no one better than you to do that.”
“Our fruits and vegetables are grown naturally using time-tested methods like companion planting, selecting plant combinations that naturally deter pests and enrich the soil.”
From Los Angeles Times
Brazil's agriculture ministry published a decree this week ordering the suspension, citing the risk of pests or diseases in cocoa beans coming from the West African nation, claiming its production includes "grains from neighboring countries."
From Barron's
Now they’re just pests, pesky thieves trying to steal what little gold we find.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
