Meaning & use
cicadas
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“cicadas” is a form of “cicada”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralbiology
Large winged insects with bulging eyes whose males make a loud, rhythmic buzzing sound, mostly in warm weather.
Grammar: Plural of cicada: millions of cicadas. The singular is a cicada.
Patterns
- swarms of cicadas
- cicadas emerge
The trees hummed with the noise of cicadas on the hot July evening.
Every seventeen years, cicadas climb out of the soil in huge numbers.
We found the dry shells of cicadas stuck to the bark.
Word forms
| singular | cicada |
|---|
Common combinations
- cicadas buzz
- The cicadas buzz loudly as the afternoon heat rises.
- swarm of cicadas
- A swarm of cicadas covered the oak trees.
- cicadas emerge
- Periodical cicadas emerge from underground after many years.
- song of the cicadas
- The song of the cicadas filled the summer night.
Synonyms and how they differ
- locusts
- People in North America sometimes call cicadas locusts, but true locusts are grasshoppers that swarm and eat crops.
- crickets
- Crickets chirp at night and are smaller, whereas cicadas are larger and louder by day.
Word family
Commonly confused: cicadas or cicada?
cicadas vs cicada
Cicada is the singular. Cicadas is the plural, and the first c sounds like s.
Practice
Which sound would you associate with cicadas?
Choose one answer.
Male cicadas produce a loud, continuous buzzing in warm weather. Purring, croaking and squeaking belong to other animals.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cicadas”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.