noun
spider
SPEYE-duh
noun
1
An eight-legged creature, many of which spin webs to catch insects.
"A large spider had spun its web across the porch overnight."
"She screamed when a spider dropped from the ceiling."
2
A computer program that automatically browses the web, following links to collect information (also called a web crawler).
"Search engines use spiders to index new pages across the internet."
"The site blocked the spider after it made too many requests too quickly."
How to Use Spider
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe eight-legged arachnid, or, in tech, an automated program that scans web pages.
Common pairings
spider web
search engine spider
a spider bite
Word Forms
spidered past tense, spiders plural, spiders singular
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A large _____ had spun its web across the porch overnight.
Etymology
From Old English spīþra, ultimately from the Germanic root behind "spin" — a spider is literally "the spinning one."