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# earwig

noun (an earwig, earwigs); verb (UK, informal: earwig, earwigs, earwigged, earwigging)

«earwig» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A small brown insect with a long body and a pair of pincers at its tail end. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#m1)
2. (UK, informal) To listen secretly to other people's conversations, as in «Stop earwigging!» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and garden lessons earwigs are minibeasts found under stones, bark and flowerpots; they eat plants and small insects. Myth: they do not crawl into people's ears to lay eggs. In UK homes, a nosy child might be told off for «earwigging».

### Examples

- We found earwigs under the flowerpot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x1)
- An earwig has pincers on its tail. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x2)
- Earwigs come out at night to eat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x3)
- Earwigs do not really crawl into your ears. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x4)
- Stop earwigging on our conversation! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x5)
- Mum said I was earwigging when I listened at the door. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x6)
- Effie's brother Harry fished something out of his tea, which he thought at first was an earwig. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x7)

### Note

Takes «an»: «an earwig». The verb sense is British and informal. The pincers are called «cerci»; they can give a pinch but are harmless.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «earwig» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«earwig» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/earwig.html) on Mova free.