Meaning & use
weevils
Last updated
“weevils” is a form of “weevil”.
Meaning
nounpluraltechnical
Small beetles with a long snout that often damage stored grain, cotton, and other crops.
Grammar: Plural of weevil; use weevil for one insect.
Patterns
- weevils in something
- a weevil on something
The farmer found weevils in the stored wheat.
Weevils can destroy a whole crop if they are not controlled.
She studied how weevils damage cotton plants.
Word forms
| singular | weevil |
|---|
Common combinations
- boll weevil
- The boll weevil is a major pest of cotton.
- grain weevil
- Grain weevils can ruin bags of flour.
- weevil infestation
- A weevil infestation spread through the warehouse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beetle
- Beetle is a general word for many insects with hard wing covers; weevil is a specific type with a long snout.
- pest
- Pest is a wider term for any harmful insect; weevil is the exact insect name.
Word family
- weevil noun
- One insect of this kind.
- weevily adjective
- Infested with weevils, as in weevily flour.
Commonly confused: weevils or evil?
weevils vs evil
Evil means morally bad; weevil is an insect. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
The farmer stored his grain in airtight bins to keep ___ out.
Choose one answer.
Weevils is the plural noun needed as the object of keep out. Weevil's is possessive, weeviled is not a standard adjective, and weevily is an adjective meaning infested.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “weevils”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.