HOW TO PRONOUNCE
caterpillar
/ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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What does caterpillar mean?
noun
- The larva of a butterfly or moth; leafworm.
- A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler.
- A set of subtrees of a tree.
More meanings (2)
verb
- To move along slowly, drawing one's body up, in the manner of a caterpillar.
noun
- (obsolete) A rapacious, extortionate person preying upon the community.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
It appeared that a caterpillar had come from the fern and chosen the front of her bodice as his resting place.
“I s’pose,” he said reflectively, “that Paul Irving wouldn’t have dropped a caterpillar down a girl’s neck in church, would he?”
More book examples (3)
In a minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or twice, and shook itself.
The Processional caterpillar of the pine-trees, "endowed with an exquisite hygrometric sensibility," is a barometer more infallible than that of the physicists.
The cavalcade wound on like a jointed caterpillar, tufted with the white parasols of the ladies, and the panama hats of the gentlemen.