social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
"The garden was overrun by ants, whose complex society relies on winged queens to start new colonies while wingless workers tend to the eggs."
Any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females.
"The gardener swatted away an ant that had been marching single-file across his flower bed to reach a pile of sugar."
In plain English: An ant is a tiny insect with six legs that lives in colonies and works together to find food.
"The ant crawled across the kitchen counter in search of crumbs."
Usage: Use "ant" as a noun to refer to any small insect that lives in organized colonies with distinct castes like workers and queens. When used as a verb, it specifically means rubbing these insects over your skin or an animal's fur to remove ticks or other parasites.
To rub insects, especially ants, on one's body, perhaps to control parasites or clean feathers.
"The bird rubbed its beak against the rough bark of the tree to remove the crawling ants from its feathers."
In plain English: To ant means to move your body quickly and restlessly, often by twitching or fidgeting without realizing it.
"The rain began to ant down, washing away all traces of dust from the pavement."
A diminutive of the male given name Anthony, from Latin.
"The ANT broadcast news reports from Kabul every evening."
Initialism of Afghanistan National Television.
The word "ant" comes from Old English, originally meaning a biting or cutting creature. Its roots likely trace back to Proto-Germanic words for "to cut," combining elements that mean "off" and "away."