- 1[countable] a long, thin creature with no bones or legs, that lives in soil birds looking for worms see earthworm, lugworm
- 2worms [plural] long, thin creatures that live inside the bodies of humans or animals and can cause illness The dog has worms. see hookworm, tapeworm
- 3[countable] the young form of an insect when it looks like a short worm This apple is full of worms. see glowworm, silkworm, woodworm
- 4[countable] (computing) a computer program that is a type of virus and that spreads across a network by copying itself
- 5[countable, usually singular] (informal) (disapproving) a person you do not like or respect, especially because they have a weak character and do not behave well toward other people Idioms
if you open up a can of worms, you start doing something that will cause a lot of problems and be very difficult
a person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them
a person who is normally quiet and does not complain will protest when the situation becomes too hard to bear
Check pronunciation: worm