palmetto bug

noun

chiefly Southern US

Examples of palmetto bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
My nan streaked across the room and stomped on the palmetto bug with her bare-a** feet. Gisele Grayson, NPR, 23 May 2024 Florida, with its wild palm scrub, its palmetto bugs, its hills of fire ants and heaps of molehills, permeates the art that people create. Kristen Arnett, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2019 But one annoying, consistent downside of our new home was the presence of cockroaches—otherwise known as palmetto bugs down here—thanks to the Florida climate. Katie Holley, SELF, 30 Apr. 2018 Inside the houses are palmetto bugs the size of lapdogs. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 22 June 2018 Which means she's seen her fair share of palmetto bugs, which are brown, ubiquitous, and can grow to an inch-and-a-half long or more. CBS News, 4 May 2018 And finally, after carrying around parts of a palmetto bug in her ear for nine days, Holley was roach-free again. Matthew Martinez, miamiherald, 4 May 2018 Legs that could only belong to an adventurous palmetto bug [a type of roach] exploring my ear canal. Korin Miller, SELF, 1 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of palmetto bug was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near palmetto bug

Cite this Entry

“Palmetto bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palmetto%20bug. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!