noun
lemming
lehm-ihng
noun
1
A small rodent found in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, known for periodic dramatic population swings.
"Lemming populations can boom and then crash within a few years."
2
Someone who blindly follows the crowd, especially into a bad decision.
"Investors piled into the stock like lemmings, ignoring the warning signs."
How to Use Lemming
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLiterally an Arctic rodent, but commonly used to describe someone who follows the crowd without thinking.
Common mistake
The 'jumping off cliffs' myth about lemmings isn't true in the literal sense — it comes from a staged nature documentary — but the figurative meaning (blind conformity) is well established in English.
Common pairings
like lemmings
follow like lemmings
Word Forms
lemmings plural
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_____ populations can boom and then crash within a few years.
Etymology
From Norwegian and Danish lemming, ultimately from Old Norse. Sense 2 comes from a persistent myth that lemmings mindlessly march off cliffs in large groups — they don't, but the story stuck.