locust

noun

lo·​cust ˈlō-kəst 

1

: short-horned grasshopper

especially : a migratory grasshopper often traveling in vast swarms and stripping the areas passed of all vegetation

2

: cicada

3

a

: any of various leguminous trees: such as

(1)

: carob sense 1

(2)

: black locust

(3)

: honey locust

b

: the wood of a locust tree

Examples of locust in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Through human eyes These weather variations often resulted in major catastrophes including the Black Death, numerous famines, and locust invasions that were directly and indirectly related to climate. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Feb. 2025

Happy times during the locust invasion, happy times eating reindeer! —Margaret Lyons, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2025

Sure, there was an artificial fish powered by human heart cells and a robot that used a locust's ear to hear, but in terms of the practical use of the technology, the field has remained somewhat empty. —Michael Franco, New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2025

The now-extinct Rocky Mountain locusts once migrated across the country in waves. —Christine Peterson, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French locuste, from Latin locusta

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing locust

• black locust
• desert locust
• honey locust
• locust bean
• seventeen-year locust

Rhymes for locust

• focused
• focussed
• refocused
• unfocused

Kids Definition

locust

noun

lo·​cust ˈlō-kəst 

1

a

: short-horned grasshopper

especially : a grasshopper that often migrates in vast swarms and eats up the plants in its course

b

: cicada

2

a

: any of various trees of the legume family with hard wood

b

: the wood of a locust