- any of numerous oligochaete worms of the genera Lumbricus, Allolobophora, Eisenia, etc, which burrow in the soil and help aerate and break up the ground
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
earth•worm /ˈɜrθˌwɜrm/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Invertebratesa long worm that has segments or rings on its body and that burrows in soil.
earth•worm
(ûrth′wûrm′),USA pronunciation n.
- Invertebratesany one of numerous annelid worms that burrow in soil and feed on soil nutrients and decaying organic matter.
- [Archaic.]a mean or groveling person.
- late Middle English ertheworm. See earth, worm 1400–50
- The earthworm, a commonly used bait for angling, is also called an angleworm in the Northern U.S. and a fishworm in the Northern and Midland U.S. and in New England. It is called a fishing worm in parts of the Midland and Southern U.S., and a wiggler in the Southern U.S.Because the worm often comes to the surface of the earth when the ground is cool or wet, it is also called a nightwalker in New England, a nightcrawler, chiefly in the Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S., and a dew worm, chiefly in the Inland North and Canada. It is also called a red worm in the North Central, South Midland, and Southern U.S.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
earthworm /ˈɜːθˌwɜːm/ n
'earthworm' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
angledug
- brandling
- cast
- chaeta
- crawler
- lobworm
- wormcast
- angleworm
- dew-worm
- fishing worm
- fishworm
- heart
- hermaphrodite
- lumbrical
- lumbricoid
- night crawler
- nightwalker
- red worm
- wiggler
- worm lizard