From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_169_ginsectin‧sect /ˈɪnsekt/ ●●● W3 noun [countable] HBIa small creature such as a fly or ant, that has six legs, and sometimes wings an insect bite flying insects Don’t forget to bring insect repellent (=a chemical to keep insects away).COLLOCATIONSadjectivessmall The bird’s natural diet mainly consists of small insects.tiny (=very small)The air was filled with thousands of tiny insects.a flying insectToads mainly eat small dark flying insects.a winged insect literary:Swallows swooped to snatch winged insects from the sky.verbsan insect fliesInsects were flying around the food on the counter.an insect crawls (=moves along the ground )A tiny insect was crawling up his arm.an insect buzzes (=makes a continuous sound)Insects were buzzing around our heads as we walked through the forest.insect + NOUNan insect biteHe was worried about a large red insect bite on his back.an insect sting (=a hole in your skin made by an insect)This cream is good for treating insect stings.insect repellent (=a chemical to keep insects away)If you go camping, you should take some insect repellent.an insect speciesLarge numbers of insect species are becoming extinct.insect eggsThe leaves were covered in insect eggs.insect larvae (=young insects with soft bodies and no wings)Fish love food such as worms and insect larvae.THESAURUSinsect a small creature such as a fly or ant, that has six legs, and sometimes wingsHead lice are tiny insects that live in the hair.bug a small insectWhat are those little bugs in my roses?creepy-crawly informal an insect, especially one that you are frightened ofThe mattress was covered in creepy-crawlies.aphid technical a small insect that lives on the juice of plants and destroys themThe leaves have been attacked by aphids.
Examples from the Corpus
insect• Is there any reason to believe an insect may have crawled or flown into the ear?• If your child becomes interested in insects, encourage her to focus on a particular insect.• Spurs occur on the legs of many insects and differ from setae in being of multicellular origin.• For bees and other insects, social life pays.• Both make up for the lack of nutrients in the soil by trapping and digesting small insects.• The Percys ate their peanuts one by one, patiently dislodging the insects.• Horton picked the spider up, held it in his palm and asked if the insect was bothering anyone.Origin insect (1600-1700) Latin insectum, from insecare “to cut into”; because insects have a body in separate parts 