A spider is a small creature with eight legs. Most types of spider make structures called webs in which they catch insects for food.
spider in British English
(ˈspaɪdə)
noun
1.
any predatory silk-producing arachnid of the order Araneae, having four pairs of legs and a rounded unsegmented body consisting of abdomen and cephalothorax
See also wolf spider, trap-door spider, tarantula, black widow
2.
any of various similar or related arachnids
3.
a hub fitted with radiating spokes or arms that serve to transmit power or support a load
4. agriculture
an instrument used with a cultivator to pulverize soil
5.
any implement or tool having the shape of a spider
6. nautical
a metal frame fitted at the base of a mast to which halyards are tied when not in use
7.
any part of a machine having a number of radiating spokes, tines, or arms
8. Also called: octopus British
a cluster of elastic straps fastened at a central point and used to hold a load on a car rack, motorcycle, etc
9. billiards, snooker
a rest having long legs, used to raise the cue above the level of the height of the ball
10. angling
an artificial fly tied with a hackle and no wings, perhaps originally thought to imitate a spider
11. computing
a computer program that is capable of performing sophisticated recursive searches on the internet
12. short for spider phaeton
Word origin
Old English spīthra; related to Danish spinder, German Spinne; see spin
spider in American English
(ˈspaɪdər)
noun
1.
any of an order (Araneae) of small, chiefly land arachnids having a body composed of a cephalothorax bearing the legs and an abdomen bearing two or more pairs of spinnerets that spin the silk threads from which are made nests, cocoons for the eggs, or webs for trapping insects
2. US
a cast-iron frying pan, orig. one with legs for use on a hearth
3.
any of various devices or frameworks with several leglike extensions
Word origin
ME spithre < OE spithra < *spinthra < spinnan, to spin
COBUILD Collocations
spider
venomous spider
Image of
spider
Shutterstock
Examples of 'spider' in a sentence
spider
Let me rescue you from some giant spiders.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We played a computer game where a spider had to catch flies.
The Sun (2011)
Why is it that some insects and spiders die by suicide?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They top up with spiders and small insects for protein.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Often found walking up walls in houses or sheds and good at catching other spiders.
The Sun (2009)
They mop up insects and spiders as they go.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Fix fake spiders and insects to it with safety pins.
The Sun (2012)
Like a fly in a spider's web.
The Sun (2015)
There were snakes and spiders, as well as an old leopard who would come by.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
To me, spiders are enjoyable creatures.
The Sun (2011)
Giant spiders' webs light up in the glow.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Is it because both snakes and spiders move in a disturbingly counter-intuitive way?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Once the spider catches a victim, it can decide whether it is tasty or not.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
How about that ghastly moment when she had insects, snakes and spiders climbing all over her?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When an insect or spider is sensed, the leaves snap shut.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
A small spider had appeared in the liquor.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
When you've done all the prompts for a topic draw a giant spider diagram to show them all.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Before we had got out of the van, they had admitted to a fear of spiders and of heights.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Despite the risk of blood poisoning and going into shock after the horrific bite, doctors expect the spider to make a full recovery.
The Sun (2006)
Most people will admit having some fear, whether it be heights, spiders or the dark.
The Sun (2008)
The fears of spiders and of heights are predictably, the most common, according to a new survey.
The Sun (2009)
Use a spider graph.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He saw woman as both the victim and the predator, the spider and the fly - often at one and the same time.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Word lists with
spider
spider, tool
In other languages
spider
British English: spider /ˈspaɪdə/ NOUN
A spider is a small creature with eight legs.
American English: spider
Arabic: عَنْكَبُوت
Brazilian Portuguese: aranha
Chinese: 蜘蛛
Croatian: pauk
Czech: pavouk
Danish: edderkop
Dutch: spin
European Spanish: araña
Finnish: hämähäkki
French: araignée
German: Spinne
Greek: αράχνη
Italian: ragno
Japanese: クモ 動物
Korean: 거미
Norwegian: edderkopp
Polish: pająk
European Portuguese: aranha
Romanian: păianjen
Russian: паук
Latin American Spanish: araña
Swedish: spindel
Thai: แมงมุม
Turkish: örümcek
Ukrainian: павук
Vietnamese: con nhện
All related terms of 'spider'
bird spider
any large hairy predatory bird-eating spider of the family Aviculariidae , of tropical America
crab spider
any of a family (Thomisidae) of spiders that move sideways like crabs
red spider
the red spider mite
sea spider
a small marine arachnid , having four pairs of legs and somewhat resembling a spider , unusual in that the male carries the eggs once they are laid and cares for the offspring
spider crab
any of various crabs of the genera Macropodia, Libinia, etc, having a small triangular body and very long legs
spider hole
a foxhole with a camouflaged lid or cover in which a sniper hides
spider mite
any of various plant-feeding mites of the family Tetranychidae, esp Panonychus ulmi ( red spider mite ), which is a serious orchard pest
spider vein
one of a radiating network of dilated capillaries on the skin
spider web
the web that is spun by a spider , made of interlaced threads of viscous fluid that harden on exposure to air
sun spider
any predatory , scorpionlike arachnid of the order Solifugae (or Solpugida), having enormously developed mouth pincers and a long body covered with tactile hairs, inhabiting deserts and plains regions in all warm parts of the world except Australia
wolf spider
any spider of the family Lycosidae, which chase their prey to catch it
banana spider
a large, yellowish, tropical crab spider ( Heteropoda venatoria ) occasionally found in bunches of bananas shipped to the Temperate Zones
diadem spider
a common Eurasian spider , Araneus diadematus, that constructs orb webs : family Argiopidae
house spider
any largish dark spider of the genus Tegenaria that is common in houses, such as the cardinal spider
money spider
any of certain small shiny brownish spiders of the family Linyphiidae
spider flower
→ cleome
spider monkey
any of several arboreal New World monkeys of the genus Ateles, of Central and South America, having very long legs , a long prehensile tail , and a small head
spider orchid
any of several European orchids of the genus Ophrys, esp O. sphegodes, having a flower with yellow, green, or pink sepals and a broad brown velvety lip
spider plant
any of various house plants, esp Chlorophytum elatum
water spider
a Eurasian spider , Argyroneta aquatica, that spins a web in the form of an air-filled chamber in which it lives submerged in streams and ponds
cardinal spider
a large house spider , Tegenaria parietina
hunting spider
any spider of the family Lycosidae, which chase their prey to catch it
jumping spider
any spider of the family Salticidae, esp Attulus saltator, that catch their prey by hunting and can jump considerable distances
spider phaeton
(formerly) a light horse-drawn carriage with a high body and large slender wheels
spider's web
a mesh of fine tough scleroprotein threads built by a spider from a liquid secreted from its spinnerets and used to trap insects
trapdoor spider
any of various, often large, spiders (esp. family Ctenizidae) that dig a burrow and cover the entrance with a hinged lid like a trapdoor
venomous spider
A spider is a small creature with eight legs. Most types of spider make structures called webs in which they catch insects for food.
red spider mite
a plant-feeding mite , Panonychus ulmi , of the family Tetranychidae , which is a serious orchard pest
trap-door spider
any of various spiders of the family Ctenizidae that construct a silk-lined hole in the ground closed by a hinged door of earth and silk
brown recluse spider
a very poisonous , medium-sized spider ( Loxosceles reclusa ), common in the U.S., having a violin-shaped mark on its cephalothorax and only six eyes
spider-hunting wasp
any solitary wasp of the superfamily Pompiloidea, having a slender elongated body: the fast-running female hunts spiders as a food store for her larvae
woolly spider monkey
a rare related monkey , Brachyteles arachnoides, of SE Brazil
coaita
any of several arboreal New World monkeys of the genus Ateles, of Central and South America , having very long legs , a long prehensile tail , and a small head
redback
a small venomous Australian spider , Latrodectus hasselti , having long thin legs and, in the female, a red stripe on the back of its globular abdomen
a spider's web of something
a tangled arrangement
black widow
an American spider , Latrodectus mactans , the female of which is black with red markings , highly venomous, and commonly eats its mate
pompilid
any solitary wasp of the superfamily Pompiloidea, having a slender elongated body: the fast-running female hunts spiders as a food store for her larvae
chlorophytum
any plant of the genus Chlorophytum, esp C . elatum variegatum, grown as a pot plant for its long narrow leaves with a light central stripe , and characterized by the production of offsets at the end of long scapes : family Liliaceae