Meaning & use
spider
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A small creature with eight legs that often makes silk webs to catch insects.
Grammar: Countable noun: use 'a spider' or 'spiders' for more than one.
Patterns
- a spider spins a web
- a spider catches insects
- afraid of spiders
A spider built its web between the branches.
She is afraid of spiders and always checks her shoes.
The spider caught a fly in its web.
nouncountablecomputing
A computer program that automatically searches the internet and collects information.
Grammar: Used in computing; often in the phrase 'web spider'.
Patterns
- a web spider
- search engine spider
The search engine uses a spider to index new pages.
A spider visited the site and added it to the search results.
Word forms
| plural | spiders |
|---|
Common combinations
- spider web
- The spider web glistened with dew.
- spider bite
- He needed treatment for a spider bite.
- spider silk
- Spider silk is stronger than steel of the same weight.
- black widow spider
- The black widow spider is venomous.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arachnid
- A scientific term for spiders, scorpions, and similar creatures; not a synonym in everyday use.
Word family
- spidery adjective
- Thin and long like a spider's legs, often describing handwriting.
Commonly confused: spider or insect?
spider vs insect
Insects have six legs and three body parts; spiders have eight legs and two body parts.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'spider' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Spiders are known for spinning webs to catch insects; they have eight legs, not six, and are not birds or fish.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spider”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.