noun
earwig
EER-wihg
noun
1
A small insect with pincers at the end of its abdomen.
"An earwig scuttled out from under the flowerpot."
verb
1
To eavesdrop, or to quietly try to influence someone with persistent talk.
"He was earwigging on their conversation from the next table."
How to Use Earwig
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pincer-tailed garden insect; informally, also used as a verb meaning to eavesdrop.
Memory tip
The insect meaning is far more common than the eavesdropping verb, which is mostly British slang.
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
earwigged past tense, earwigs plural, earwigs singular
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An _____ scuttled out from under the flowerpot.
Etymology
From Old English ēarwicga, literally "ear insect" — from an old folk belief that the insect crawled into people's ears.