Meaning & use
inchworm
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Meaning
nouncountablebiology
A small green or brown caterpillar that travels by drawing its back end up to its front, forming a loop, then stretching forward again.
Grammar: Has a regular plural: one inchworm on the leaf, two inchworms on the stem.
Patterns
- an inchworm on something
An inchworm was looping its way along the edge of the garden bench.
The children watched the inchworm stretch out and grab the next twig.
Birds often miss an inchworm because it holds itself rigid like a small branch.
Word forms
| plural | inchworms |
|---|
Common combinations
- a green inchworm
- A green inchworm dangled from a silk thread above the path.
- inchworm moves
- The inchworm moves in a steady arch, back end first and then head.
- inchworm on a leaf
- She spotted an inchworm on a leaf of the maple sapling.
- inchworm infestation
- An inchworm infestation stripped most of the leaves from the orchard trees.
- inchworm crawl
- The toddler did an inchworm crawl across the carpet, bottom in the air.
Synonyms and how they differ
- measuring worm
- This is another everyday name for the same caterpillar, though it is slightly more old-fashioned and sounds more folksy than inchworm.
- looper
- Looper is the term gardeners and farmers use for the same group of caterpillars, and it stresses the pest side rather than the cute image.
- geometer caterpillar
- This is the more scientific label, naming the moth family the larva belongs to, so it fits textbooks better than casual talk.
Word family
Commonly confused: inchworm or earthworm?
inchworm vs earthworm
An earthworm is a true worm that lives in soil, while an inchworm is the larva of a moth and eventually grows wings.
Practice
Why is a caterpillar called an inchworm?
Choose one answer.
The name comes from the looping way it moves, as though measuring distance. It is not limited to an inch, and it lives on plants, not in soil.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inchworm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.