Meaning & use
moths
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“moths” is a form of “moth”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Plural of moth: flying insects with dull-colored wings that are active mostly at night.
Grammar: Countable noun; use it when there are two or more moths, and use moth for one.
Patterns
- a swarm of moths
- moths around a light
Moths gathered around the porch light.
The old coat had holes because moths had eaten it.
She caught three moths in a jar and let them go outside.
nounplural
Plural of moth: small winged insects whose larvae often damage clothes and stored food.
Grammar: Often used with words like clothes or pantry to say what the moths are damaging.
Patterns
- clothes moths
- moths in the pantry
We found clothes moths in the wool sweaters.
Pantry moths got into the flour, so we threw it out.
A few moths flew out when she opened the storage box.
Word forms
| singular | moth |
|---|
Common combinations
- clothes moth
- The clothes moth lays eggs in dark closets.
- a moth to a flame
- He was drawn to the stage like a moth to a flame.
- moth-eaten
- She donated the moth-eaten blanket.
- gypsy moth
- Gypsy moths can damage whole forests.
Synonyms and how they differ
- butterfly
- A butterfly is usually brighter and flies by day, while a moth is typically duller and flies at night.
Word family
Commonly confused: moths or motes?
moths vs motes
Motes are tiny specks, as in motes of dust; moths are the insects.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Moths is plural, so it goes with a plural verb and plural quantity: two moths landed. A moths is wrong because an is singular, and the other options use singular verbs with a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moths”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.