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Definition of worm noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

worm

noun
 
 
/wɜːm/
 
/wɜːrm/
Idioms
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  1.  
    [countable] a long, thin creature with a soft body and no bones or legs
    • birds looking for worms
    • Worms burrow down through the soil.
    see also earthworm, lugwormTopics Insects, worms, etc.b2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryworm + verb
    • burrow
    • crawl
    • wriggle
    • …
    worm + noun
    • cast
    See full entry
  2.  
    worms
    [plural] long, thin creatures that live inside the bodies of humans or animals and can cause illness
    • The dog has worms.
    see also hookworm, tapewormTopics Insects, worms, etc.c1
  3.  
    [countable] the young form of an insect when it looks like a short worm
    • This apple is full of worms.
    see also glow-worm, silkworm, woodwormTopics Insects, worms, etc.c1
  4. [countable] (computing) a computer program that is a type of virus and that spreads across a network by copying itselfTopics Computersc2
  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 towards other people
    6. Word OriginOld English wyrm (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Latin vermis ‘worm’ and Greek rhomox ‘woodworm’.
Idioms
a can of worms
  1. (informal) if you open up a can of worms, you start doing something that will cause a lot of problems and be very difficult
the early bird catches the worm
  1. (saying) the person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them
the worm will turn
  1. (saying) a person who is normally quiet and does not complain will protest when the situation becomes too hard to bear
See worm in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: worm

Nearby words

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adjective
 
 
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