- any carnivorous typically green insect of the family Mantidae, of warm and tropical regions, having a long body and large eyes and resting with the first pair of legs raised as if in prayer: order DictyopteraAlso called: praying mantis
See also cockroach
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
man•tis /ˈmæntɪs/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. -tis•es, -tes /-tiz/USA pronunciation
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Insectsan insect having a long body and typically holding the forelegs in an upraised position as if in prayer.
man•tis
(man′tis),USA pronunciation n., pl. -tis•es, -tes (-tēz).USA pronunciation
- Insectsany of several predaceous insects of the order Mantidae, having a long prothorax and typically holding the forelegs in an upraised position as if in prayer.
- Greek mántis prophet, kind of insect; akin to mania
- Neo-Latin
- 1650–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mantis /ˈmæntɪs/ n ( pl -tises, -tes /-tiːz/)
'mantis' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):