Vermin

//ˈvɝmɪn// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance. plural, singular

    "The area was crawling with all sorts of vermin: fleas, lice, mice, and rats to name a few. Thus, we felt as if vermin were crawling over us."

  2. 2
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests; e.g. cockroaches or rats wordnet
  3. 3
    An animal that preys on game, such as a fox or a weasel. plural, singular
  4. 4
    an irritating or obnoxious person wordnet
  5. 5
    An obnoxious or mean and offensive person. plural, singular

    "Bring these vermin to the Palace of Justice."

Synonyms

All synonyms
insectamphibiananimalaquaticbeastbiped

Example

More examples

"In Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, humans are described as being "the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.""

Etymology

From Middle English vermyn, vermyne, from Old French vermine, from Vulgar Latin *verminum (“vermin”), collective noun formed from Latin vermis (“worm”). Compare vermiculate and vermivorous. See also worm.

Related phrases

prey on

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.