worm

worm is part of the Basic English 850.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /wɜːm/, SAMPA: /w3:m/
• (US) enPR: wûrm, IPA: /wɝm/, SAMPA: /w3`m/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

Noun

Singular worm

Plural worms

A worm

1. (countable) A tube-shaped animal with no legs that lives underground, under water, or inside another animal.

   He found a big worm to use for fishbait.

   They found a worm in his stomach.

   Worms must be eating him by now.

   They found a worm in the tree.

2. (old, no longer used) A snake or dragon.

   Saint George fought the worm with all his strength.

Synonyms

• earthworm, nightcrawler, annelid
• (dragon) snake, dragon, wyrm, wyvern

Related words and phrases

• bookworm
• earthworm
• glowworm
• silkworm
• wormwood
• wormy
• worm-like
• tapeworm
• ringworm
• hookworm

See also

• (animal that lives inside another) parasite
• (animal that eats dead animals) maggot
• (any tube-shaped animal) inchworm, bookworm

Verb

Plain form worm

Third-person singular worms

Past tense wormed

Past participle wormed

Present participle worming

1. To move like a worm; to wriggle in order to move.

   He wormed along the sand.

Synonyms

• wriggle

See also

• crawl
• inch
• on hands and knees
• wiggle