Illustration of black widow
black widow
noun
: a venomous New World spider (Latrodectus mactans of the family Theridiidae) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen
broadly
: any of various related venomous spiders that have a large globular, usually glossy, dark abdomen often marked with red and long and wiry legs
Examples of black widow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The venom in a black widow spider is extremely toxic.
—
Laura Schober, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
Treatments for a black widow bite include:41 Pain-relieving medicines: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) target pain points caused by a black widow bite.
—Laura Schober, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
How to identify a black widow According to a guide from Purdue University's entomology department, a female black widow is black and about the size of a penny with its legs extended.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Sep. 2024
Other symptoms of a spider bite on the eyelid can include:
Bite marks
Headache
Itching
Tearing
While most spider bites are not serious, two types of spiders found in the United States that are dangerous are the brown recluse spider and the black widow.
—Andrew Greenberg, Verywell Health, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for black widow 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Laura Schober, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
Treatments for a black widow bite include:41 Pain-relieving medicines: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) target pain points caused by a black widow bite.
—Laura Schober, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
How to identify a black widow According to a guide from Purdue University's entomology department, a female black widow is black and about the size of a penny with its legs extended.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Sep. 2024
Other symptoms of a spider bite on the eyelid can include:
Bite marks
Headache
Itching
Tearing
While most spider bites are not serious, two types of spiders found in the United States that are dangerous are the brown recluse spider and the black widow.
—Andrew Greenberg, Verywell Health, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for black widow
Dictionary Entries Near black widow
Cite this Entry
“Black widow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20widow. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
black widow
noun
black wid·ow
-ˈwid-ˌō 
: a venomous New World spider of the genus Latrodectus (L. mactans) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen
broadly
: any other spider of the genus Latrodectus
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share