1
: short-horned grasshopper
especially
: a migratory grasshopper often traveling in vast swarms and stripping the areas passed of all vegetation
2
: cicada
3
a
: any of various leguminous trees: such as
(1)
(2)
(3)
b
: the wood of a locust tree
Examples of locust in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first night’s open-air evening meal turned disastrous as dozens of locusts, attracted to our lights, started ping-ponging off our heads and plates.
—
Tanveer Badal, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Dec. 2024
Braves Luxury tax status: Over, repeat offender Preseason farm system ranking: 26th
Need for starting pitching: High
If not for the swarm of flesh-eating locusts that has ravaged their roster, the Braves wouldn’t have needed to make any trades at all.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 26 July 2024
Both broods of cicadas are large-bodied, have large compound eyes, and are sometimes mistakenly called locusts, said the University of Illinois.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 17 Apr. 2024
No, this isn't something from the Book of Revelations — locusts and cicadas are separate species.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 7 Mar. 2024
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Tanveer Badal, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Dec. 2024
Braves Luxury tax status: Over, repeat offender Preseason farm system ranking: 26th
Need for starting pitching: High
If not for the swarm of flesh-eating locusts that has ravaged their roster, the Braves wouldn’t have needed to make any trades at all.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 26 July 2024
Both broods of cicadas are large-bodied, have large compound eyes, and are sometimes mistakenly called locusts, said the University of Illinois.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 17 Apr. 2024
No, this isn't something from the Book of Revelations — locusts and cicadas are separate species.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 7 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for locust
Dictionary Entries Near locust
Cite this Entry
“Locust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/locust. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
locust
noun
lo·cust
ˈlō-kəst 
1
a
: short-horned grasshopper
especially
: a grasshopper that often migrates in vast swarms and eats up the plants in its course
b
: cicada
2
a
: any of various trees of the legume family with hard wood
b
: the wood of a locust
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