worm
4 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
worms
plural
worms
Britannica Dictionary definition of WORM
1
[count]
:
a long, thin animal that has a soft body with no legs or bones and that often lives in the ground
—
see also earthworm
-
I often see worms in the garden.
-
We always used worms as bait for fishing.
3
[count]
informal + disapproving
:
a person who is not liked or respected
:
a very bad person
-
I didn't think that she would go on a date with that worm. [=wretch]
5
[count]
computers
:
a computer virus that causes damage to computers connected to each other by a network
can of worms
the early bird catches/gets the worm
the worm turns
informal
— used to talk about how a situation can suddenly change so that a person who has been weak, unlucky, unsuccessful, etc., can become strong, lucky, successful, etc.
-
The worm turns quickly in the world of politics.
-
Some investors believe that the worm has turned, and that the economy is getting better.
-
tiny wormlike creatures
2
worm
/ˈwɚm/
verb
worms;
wormed;
worming
2
worm
/ˈwɚm/
verb
worms;
wormed;
worming
Britannica Dictionary definition of WORM
1
always followed by an adverb or preposition
:
to move or proceed by twisting and turning
[no object]
-
He slowly wormed through the crowd.
[+ object]
-
He slowly wormed his way through the crowd.
2
[+ object]
:
to give (an animal) medicine that destroys the small worms that live inside it and cause illness
-
worm a puppy
-
You should have the dog vaccinated and wormed.
worm into
[phrasal verb]
worm (your way or yourself) into (something)
informal
:
to get (yourself) into (a desired position, situation, etc.) in a gradual and usually clever or dishonest way
-
I wormed my way into a job at the theater.
-
He somehow managed to worm himself back into her life.
worm out of
[phrasal verb] informal
1
worm (something) out of (someone)
:
to get (information) from (someone) by asking many questions, by using clever methods of persuasion, etc.
-
We're still trying to worm it out of him.
-
She finally wormed the truth out of him. [=she finally got him to tell her the truth]
2
worm out of (something)
or
worm (your way) out of (something)
:
to avoid doing (something) in usually a clever or dishonest way
-
He always managed to worm his way out of doing the dishes.
