beetle

Pluralbeetles

Formsbeetles, beetling, beetled

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A small insect with a hard outer shell that covers and protects its wings while it rests.

   Like a little bug wearing a hard shell over its back.

   A shiny black beetle crawled slowly across the path.

   We found several beetles hiding under the old log.

   Note
2. 2
   verbintransitive

   To hurry away quickly, rushing off somewhere.

   Like a mouse running quickly back into its hole.

   The kids beetled off down the street when the bell rang.

   I need to beetle home before it gets dark.

   Similarscurry, scuttle, dash, hurry, scoot

   Note
3. 3
   nouncountable

   Alternative capitalization of Beetle. It names the small, rounded Volkswagen car.

   He restored an old beetle from the 1960s in his garage.

   Their very first car was a bright red beetle.

   Similarbug

   Note
4. 4
   noununcountable

   A dice game where players try to draw a whole beetle, adding one body part for each roll.

   Like a drawing race where each dice roll tells you which body part to add next.

   We played beetle at the party while waiting for dinner.

   She won the round of beetle by drawing the last leg.

   Note
5. 5
   nouncountable

   A heavy hammer with a big wooden head, used to drive wedges or pound hard surfaces.

   Like a giant wooden hammer made for the heaviest jobs.

   He swung the beetle to drive the wooden wedge into the log.

   The old beetle hung from a peg on the workshop wall.

   Similarmallet, maul, sledge

   Note
6. 6
   adjective

   Sticking out or hanging over the edge of something.

   Like a shelf that sticks out far from the wall.

   His heavy, beetle brows cast a shadow over his eyes.

   The cliff had a beetle edge that hung out over the sea.

   Similarprominent

   Note
7. 7
   verbtransitive or intransitive

   To hang or stick out over something below.

   Like a roof that hangs out far past the wall below it.

   Steep cliffs beetle over the tiny fishing village below.

   Sharp rocks beetle above the path and block the sunlight.

   Similaroverhang, loom, jut, tower, project

   Note
8. 8
   verbtransitive

   To hit something hard with a heavy wooden hammer.

   Like pounding a nail, but with a big wooden hammer.

   Workers beetle the paving stones until they sit flat.

   He beetled the wedge deep into the split log.

   Similarpound, hammer, ram, tamp

9. 9
   nouncountable

   A machine that hammers cloth as it moves over rollers, used in cloth factories.

   Like a machine that pounds cloth flat the way you might flatten dough.

   The old beetle in the mill flattened the linen until it shone.

   Workers fed long bolts of cloth into the beetle all day.

   Note
10. 10
    verbtransitive

    To finish cloth by hammering it in a beetle machine.

    Like ironing cloth flat, but using heavy hammers instead of an iron.

    They beetle the linen to give it a smooth shine.

    The cloth was beetled before it went to market.

    Note

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