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Glite Dictionary
🪳 A small cockroach 🐞 An aquatic insect
water bug

water bug

4.1
A large insect with long legs that lives on the surface of water
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔːtər bʌɡ/
translation icon : chinche de agua
  • The water bug skimmed across the surface of the pond, hunting for insects.

Examples

  • Like the water boatmen and the backswimmers, the giant water bugs resemble beetles somewhat.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Giant water bugs (Family Belostomatidae).

    Academic text (1993)

  • While fishing at the lake, we noticed several water bugs hovering near the water's edge.

  • A water bug can often be seen resting on the surface of the water, waiting for its prey.

Synonyms

bug
vswater bug
623 1.0

A small insect like an ant or beetle

is much larger rather than being a small insect
water strider
vswater bug
  • US
1 5.8

An insect with long legs that walks on water

is found on or at the water surface rather than only skimming
giant water bug
vswater bug
6.8

A large water insect that eats small fish and other water animals

is large and aquatic but not defined by being a predator
boat bug
vswater bug
9.3

An insect that moves on water using paddle-like back legs to eat small animals

is adapted to live on or at the water surface rather than swim
water boatman
vswater bug
7.4

A small water insect that swims with flat back legs and eats tiny animals

is much larger rather than being small

Surface Forms

water bug singular
water bugs plural

Morphology

water + bug

The compound 'water bug' is directly compositional: it denotes a 'bug' associated with 'water', so a learner who knows 'water' and 'bug' can infer an aquatic insect. This noun+noun modification pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English compounding, making the meaning immediately accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The noun water bug comes from the simple image of a bug moving on the surface of water with long legs. That's why the name means a large insect that 'lives on or in the water'.