varmint
7
9.6
- noun
- /ˈvɑrmɪnt/
- US
:
alimaña
- The farmer set traps to catch any varmint that was stealing his chickens.
- varmint rifle
- varmint hunter
- Shooting varmints
Examples
-
Some of us country boys know... that when the varmints start knocking off the chickens... we start knocking off the varmints.
-
Being in varmint country, a long-barreled .22 bolt gun can be very useful.
Blog text (8) -
Hang on to this varmint before he gets himself hurt.
-
Have you ever tried varmint shooting with a single shot?
Blog text (30) -
I've been watching that varmint for years.
-
Any varmint that crosses that lady's path has met its match.
-
They lease you the land, take your money, then let these varmints loose to kill your cattle.
Fiction book (1998) -
Usually the varmints eat up half my crop, but lately I ain't so much as seen a gopher or a jackrabbit anywhere.
Fiction book (1990) -
In the woods, you might encounter a varmint like a raccoon or a fox rummaging through trash.
-
Many farmers consider the rabbit a varmint because it can destroy crops quickly.
Synonyms
37
4.6
Small animals like rats or cockroaches that harm people, food and buildings
A wild animal that harms farm animals or crops, like a coyote
Surface Forms
Etymology
Varmint comes from an old spoken form of vermin, which comes from Latin vermis 'worm' and was used for any small pest. So farmers used varmint for animals that damage land, and that is why it means an unwanted wild animal like a coyote.