Meaning & use
mantis
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A slender insect with long front legs that it holds folded as if praying, used to grab other insects.
Grammar: Countable: one mantis, two mantises; you can say 'a mantis' or 'the mantis'.
Patterns
- a mantis on a leaf
- a praying mantis
- mantises eat insects
A green mantis was sitting perfectly still on the rose bush.
She watched a mantis catch a fly with its spiky front legs.
Mantises are common in warm gardens and are harmless to people.
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
Any insect of the mantis family, all of which are predators with grasping front legs and a movable head.
Grammar: Used mostly in science writing; the technical plural 'mantids' appears in biology texts.
Patterns
- the mantis family
- a species of mantis
- mantises in the order Mantodea
Researchers recorded twelve species of mantis in the forest.
Like other mantises, this one can turn its head almost all the way around.
The mantis is a classic example of an ambush predator.
Word forms
| plural | mantises |
|---|---|
| plural (technical) | mantids |
Common combinations
- a praying mantis
- A praying mantis landed on the kitchen window and stayed there for an hour.
- mantis shrimp
- The mantis shrimp can punch through aquarium glass with its front claws.
- mantis-like
- The robot's mantis-like arms fold up when it is not lifting anything.
- female mantis
- The female mantis is usually larger than the male.
- catch a mantis
- The children caught a mantis in a jar and let it go the same evening.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mantid
- A scientific term for the same insect; it sounds technical, so use 'mantis' in normal conversation.
- praying mantis
- The everyday name for the common green kind, showing the folded-leg pose; it is not a separate species.
Word family
- mantid noun
- A technical word for any member of the mantis group.
- mantises noun
- The usual plural form of 'mantis'.
Commonly confused: mantis or mantle? mantis or mantes?
mantis vs mantle
Sounds similar but means a loose cloak or a layer inside the Earth; a mantis is an insect.
mantis vs mantes
An older or less common plural of 'mantis'; most modern writing uses 'mantises'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mantis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Mantis' is an insect that holds its front legs folded to catch prey, so option A fits. Option C describes a cloak, which is a 'mantle', and option D describes a plant, not an insect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mantis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.