pest
noun/pest/
/pest/
- an insect or animal that destroys plants, food, etc.
- insect/plant/garden pests
- a pest control officer
- These birds provide a useful function in controlling insect pests.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- common
- major
- serious
- …
- control
- repel
- eradicate
- …
- control
- controller
- management
- …
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- (informal) an annoying person or thing
- That child is being a real pest.
- Ex-colleagues describe him as a sex pest.
Word Originlate 15th cent. (denoting the bubonic plague): from French peste or Latin pestis ‘plague’.
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pest