worm
13 synonyms for worm, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A long, thin, legless invertebrate, such as an earthworm.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A long, thin, legless invertebrate, such as an earthworm.
“After the rain, worms covered the sidewalk.”
How to use worm
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
worm your way in
computer worm
can of worms
Etymology
From Old English "wyrm," which could mean both "worm" and "snake" — a distant cousin of "vermin."
Full origin of worm →Frequently asked questions
What does “worm” mean?
The word “worm” means a long, thin, legless invertebrate, such as an earthworm. In plain terms, a small crawling invertebrate; also used for a self-spreading computer virus, or as an insult for a sneaky person.
How do you pronounce “worm”?
“Worm” is pronounced wurm (/wɝm/ in IPA).
How do you use “worm” in a sentence?
Here is “worm” used in a sentence: “After the rain, worms covered the sidewalk.”
What part of speech is “worm”?
Depending on how it is used, “worm” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “worm” come from?
The word “worm” comes from Old English. From Old English "wyrm," which could mean both "worm" and "snake" — a distant cousin of "vermin.".
Is “worm” a common word?
“Worm” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “worm” have?
“Worm” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a long, thin, legless invertebrate, such as an earthworm.
What is the difference between a worm and a virus in computing?
A computer worm is a self-replicating program that spreads across a network on its own, without needing to attach itself to another file or program, whereas a virus typically requires a host file and some user action to spread. This makes worms generally faster at propagating across networks.
Why is worm used as an insult for a person?
Calling someone a worm is an informal insult implying they are contemptible or sneaky, drawing on the image of the low, crawling creature to suggest someone lacking in dignity or trustworthiness.
What does it mean to worm your way into something?
To 'worm your way into' something means to gradually and cunningly gain entry or acceptance, often through persistence or subtle manipulation, drawing on the verb sense of moving forward slowly by crawling or wriggling.
What is a worm io game?
A worm io game is a free multiplayer browser game in which you steer a growing worm around an arena shared with other players. You eat pellets to get longer and are knocked out when your head touches another worm's body. The genre took off with slither.io in 2016.
Why are they called io games?
The name comes from the .io web address. .io is the country-code domain of the British Indian Ocean Territory, but it became popular with tech start-ups, and after agar.io became a hit in 2015 many similar browser games launched on .io addresses too. Today "io game" means a quick, free multiplayer browser game, whatever its address.
