From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwormworm1 /wɜːm $ wɜːrm/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 HBAa long thin creature with no bones and no legs that lives in soil → earthworm, lugworm2 the young form of an insect, which looks like a short worm → glow-worm, silkworm, woodworm3 → have worms4 DON'T LIKEsomeone who you do not like or respect5 a type of computer virus that can make copies of itself and destroy information on computers that are connected to each other6 → the worm turns → can of worms at can2(4)
Examples from the Corpus
worm• This is one of the best times for catching worms.• That means worms can spread much faster than viruses.• The apple, once likely to keep the doctor away, now invites the surgeons because of pesticides or worms.• Always replace the cover when you are not actually looking at the worms.• These worms grow to an average length of about 1 metre and a diameter of 2 centimetres.• Green and red wiggling worms danced in his sight like fireworks.wormworm2 verb [transitive] 1 → worm (your way) into/through etc something2 → worm your way into somebody’s affections/heart/confidence etc3 → worm your way out of (doing) something4 MHHBAto give an animal medicine in order to remove parasites that live inside it → worm something out of somebody→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
worm• They made it their business to worm a curl of something out of you.• Dragging her mind back to the matter in hand, and mumbling apologies, she wormed her way to the reception desk.• He wormed himself in, we hiss.• He managed to worm his way up to a point where his nose just touched the horizontal rope.• I thought as I managed to worm my way over to a live mike.• Archie ignored the bell and continued talking but everyone stopped listening and started worming their way free of the hard plastic chairs.• Jess wormed through the crush, at last emerging into daylight.WORMWORM /wɜːm $ wɜːrm/ noun [countable] (write once, read many) a CD on which information can be stored only once, but seen or used many timesOrigin worm1 Old English wyrm “snake, worm” 