worm

worm — noun

1. a soft-bodied creature that has a long narrow shape, no legs or bones, and lives

1.nounB2
Definition

a soft-bodied creature that has a long narrow shape, no legs or bones, and lives mostly in soil.

Example

After the heavy rain, several pink worms crawled across the pavement in our street.

collocation: crawl / wriggle + worm

Walid found a fat worm in the soil while planting tomato seedlings in the garden.

countable: a worm / the worm / worms

Common collocations
  • earthworm
  • nightcrawler
  • garden worm
  • wriggling worm
  • fishing worm
Synonyms
  • earthworm

    specifically refers to worms that live in soil, not general term for all worm-like animals

  • maggot

    refers specifically to fly larvae rather than adult worms; negative connotation

Usage Note

Countable noun. Often used with verbs like wriggle, crawl, or squirm to describe the movement of the animal.

2. the early, worm-shaped stage of certain insects before they become adults, such

2.nounB2
Definition

the early, worm-shaped stage of certain insects before they become adults, such as a caterpillar that will later turn into a butterfly or moth.

Example

The gardener spotted small green worms eating holes through the cabbage leaves.

domain: gardening — insect larvae on plants

Minh cut open an apple and found a tiny white worm curled inside the core.

Common collocations
  • silk worm
  • cabbage worm
  • corn worm
  • meal worm
  • apple worm
Synonyms
  • caterpillar

    specifically the larva of butterflies and moths; more precise than worm

  • grub

    the thick, soft larva of beetles; often found in soil or wood

  • maggot

    the legless larva of flies; usually found in decaying matter

Usage Note

In everyday English, this sense overlaps with words like caterpillar, grub, and maggot, which are more specific. 'Worm' here is a general, non-scientific term.

Common Mistakes

The worm turned into a fly immediately.
The maggot turned into a fly after several days in the pupa.
For fly larvae, use maggot; worm is too general for scientific accuracy.

3. a type of parasitic worm that lives inside the body of a person or an animal, fe

3.nounB2
Definition

a type of parasitic worm that lives inside the body of a person or an animal, feeding on the host's food or blood and often causing illness.

Example

The vet examined a sample of the dog's stool for signs of intestinal worms.

domain: veterinary — stool test for worms

Tara gave her cat a special paste because the animal had picked up worms from eating raw meat.

Common collocations
  • intestinal worm
  • parasitic worm
  • tapeworm
  • roundworm
  • hookworm
  • pinworm
  • have worms
  • get worms
  • treat worms
Synonyms
  • parasite

    broader term — includes worms, fleas, ticks, and other organisms that live off a host

  • tapeworm

    a specific long, flat parasitic worm found in the intestines

  • roundworm

    a type of parasitic worm with a round body, common in pets and humans

Usage Note

Often used in plural (worms) when referring to an infestation in an animal or person. Common verb partners: have (worms), get (worms), treat (worms), and remove (worms).

4. an insulting word for a person, especially one who behaves in a dishonest, weak,

4.nounC1
Definition

an insulting word for a person, especially one who behaves in a dishonest, weak, or unpleasant way that makes other people lose respect for them.

Example

Walid called his former business partner a worm after discovering the stolen funds.

figurative use: call someone a worm

Only a complete worm would spread lies about a colleague just to get a promotion.

register: informal, insulting

Common collocations
  • a worm
  • call someone a worm
  • treat someone like a worm
Synonyms
  • rat

    commoner insult for a traitor or informer; stronger and more frequent today

  • snake

    suggests someone sly or treacherous, especially in workplace or social betrayal

  • lowlife

    a person of low moral character; broader and less specific than worm

Usage Note

Strongly insulting and informal. Used as a singular countable noun, often in 'call someone a worm' or 'a worm' by itself. Less common in modern usage than stronger insults like 'rat' or 'snake'.

5. a piece of malicious software that creates copies of itself and spreads between

5.nounB2
Definition

a piece of malicious software that creates copies of itself and spreads between linked computers across a network, often damaging or destroying data.

Example

A worm spread through the office email system and brought the entire network down.

domain: cyber security — network worm

Xiu installed antivirus software on her laptop to protect it from worms and other malware.

Common collocations
  • computer worm
  • network worm
  • email worm
  • spread like a worm
  • block a worm
  • remove a worm
Synonyms
  • virus

    broader category of malware; viruses require host files, worms do not

  • malware

    umbrella term for any malicious software including worms, viruses, trojans

  • trojan

    a program that appears harmless but contains malicious code; different from worm in that it does not self-replicate

Usage Note

Distinguished from a 'virus' — a worm spreads across networks independently without attaching to a program or file, whereas a virus requires a host file to move.

Common Mistakes

The computer got a virus that spread by itself through email.
The computer got a worm that spread by itself through email.
A worm spreads without a host file; a virus needs to attach to a program.
Idioms

a can of worms

idiom

A situation that causes many unexpected problems when you start dealing with it.

Asking about the missing money opened a can of worms.

Maya knew that discussing the old contract would be a can of worms.

the early bird catches the worm

idiom

People who act quickly or arrive first get the best opportunities.

Sara arrived at the sale early and got the best deals.

Diego always wakes up at 5 AM because the early bird catches the worm.

the worm will turn

idiom

Even a patient person will eventually fight back if treated badly for too long.

Min tolerated the bullying for months, but the worm will turn.

Brian warned his boss that the worm will turn if conditions don't improve.

worm — verb

Word family

  • wormy
    adjectiveC1
  • wormhole
    nounC1
  • earthworm
    nounB2
  • bookworm
    nounB2
  • woodworm
    nounB2
  • worming
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Worm is the most general term for any soft-bodied, legless creature, while earthworm specifically refers to the segmented worms that burrow in soil and are commonly used for fishing. Maggot refers only to the larvae of flies, which live in decaying organic matter and carry a strongly negative, unpleasant connotation. Caterpillar is the larval stage of butterflies and moths, recognized by its multiple pairs of fleshy legs and often colourful appearance — unlike a typical worm, a caterpillar has distinct legs. Grub describes the thick, whitish larva of beetles, often found curled in soil or rotting wood. In everyday conversation, worm is fine for general use; but a gardener would say green caterpillar or cabbage worm (not just worm), a doctor would say parasitic worm or tapeworm, and a fisherman would ask for an earthworm. Using the specific term makes your English more precise and natural.

earthwormmaggotcaterpillargrub

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • can of worms
  • worm one's way
  • early bird catches the worm

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word worm comes from Old English wyrm, which originally meant 'serpent' or 'dragon' — a much more dramatic creature than the small soil animal we know today. Wyrm traces back to Proto-Germanic *wurmiz, and further to the Proto-Indo-European root *wr̥mis, meaning 'worm'. This ancient root also gave rise to Latin vermis ('worm', which led to English words like 'vermin' and 'vermicelli') and Greek rhómos ('woodworm'). Over centuries, the meaning of wyrm narrowed from any legless, crawling creature (including snakes and mythical dragons) to the modern sense of a small invertebrate animal. The figurative sense of a contemptible person appeared in Old English as well, showing that using 'worm' as an insult has been around for over a thousand years.