-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
carpenter ant
noun
: an ant (especially genus Camponotus) that gnaws galleries especially in dead or decaying wood
Examples of carpenter ant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My home was the Summit Lake Ranger Station, a log cabin built in 1927 and slowly being carried away by carpenter ants.
—Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
For example, carpenter ants require a moist environment to build their colony, while fire ants usually set up mound nests outside.
—Anna Halkidis, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 July 2023
Having wood or soil piled against siding invites an infestation of carpenter ants or termites.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 30 June 2023
After designing a miniature dueling arena—a plate with plastic dividers—the scientists chemically manipulated the odorant receptors of Florida carpenter ants from the same and neighboring colonies, either blocking or overexciting the receptors.
—Jillian Kramer, Scientific American, 1 May 2020
Robin's famous cinnamon raisin bread to beef tartare tucked under watercress and carpenter ant sauce, homemade ricotta served warm and speckled with black pepper, oysters wrapped in cabbage, slow-roasted duck over an open wood fire, and more.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2022
The idea to photograph a carpenter ant — a species that chews through wood to engineer tunnels for its nests — came by looking at the little bugs crawling in the trees in the forest near his home in Tauragė, Lithuania.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2022
Like all ants, carpenter ant colonies start with scout ants that forage your home for the best places to eat or hang out.
—Brie Dyas, Country Living, 3 July 2022
Termite and carpenter ant colonies should be treated by professional exterminators.
—oregonlive, 10 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carpenter ant.' 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
1883, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near carpenter ant
Cite this Entry
“Carpenter ant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carpenter%20ant. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
carpenter ant
noun
: any of several ants that nest and gnaw passageways in dead or decaying wood
More from Merriam-Webster on carpenter ant
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carpenter ant
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share