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leaf miner
noun
: any of various small insects (such as moths or dipteran flies) that in the larval stages burrow in and eat the parenchyma of leaves
Examples of leaf miner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pruning stimulates new growth, and those new leaves are leaf miners’ favorite, so the problem will only get worse.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
The culprits here are sucking insects such as leaf hoppers, aphids, thrips, chilli thrips, leaf miners or spider mites.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024
If those are missing, the FDA allows larvae of spinach worms or eight whole leaf miner bugs.
Don’t forget the spices!
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024
The leaf miner damage will also be limited to the new growth.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2023
Cutting off infected leaves causes the tree to make new leaves, which will also get infected with leaf miner.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
The culprit is citrus leaf miner — a tiny critter that burrows between the layers of leaf cells.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
Minor diseases like powdery mildew or nuisance pests like aphids are less of a concern, but more substantial diseases like downy mildew and pests like allium leaf miner are best managed with prevention.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2023
The most common are boxwood leaf miners and boxwood psyllids.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leaf miner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near leaf miner
Cite this Entry
“Leaf miner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leaf%20miner. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
leaf miner
noun
: any of various small insects that as larvae burrow in and eat the tissue of leaves
More from Merriam-Webster on leaf miner
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about leaf miner
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