: any of numerous pale-colored soft-bodied social insects (order Isoptera) that live in colonies consisting usually of winged sexual forms, wingless sterile workers, and soldiers, feed on wood, and include some which are very destructive to wooden structures and trees
called also white ant
Examples of termite in a Sentence
The house has a lot of termite damage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Educate Yourself: Learn about the different types of termites and their behaviors.
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Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
Like termites eating away at the structure of a house, the court has been nibbling away at the constitutional structure of our national republic for the past 30 years.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for termite 
Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
Like termites eating away at the structure of a house, the court has been nibbling away at the constitutional structure of our national republic for the past 30 years.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for termite
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'termite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Termite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/termite. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
termite
noun
ter·mite
ˈtər-ˌmīt 
: any of a group of pale-colored soft-bodied social insects that feed on wood, live in colonies consisting of winged sexual forms, wingless sterile workers, and often soldiers, and that include some very destructive to wooden structures and trees
called also white ant
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