assassin bug

noun

Any true bug from the subfamily Reduviinae of the family Reduviidae, all of which eat other insects. They can inflict a very painful bite, but don't cause disease.

Similar
reduviid
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Meanings

nounassassin bug (plural assassin bugs)

plural assassin bugs

  1. Any true bug from the subfamily Reduviinae of the family Reduviidae, all of which eat other insects. They can inflict a very painful bite, but don't cause disease.
  2. Any true bug from any of the subfamilies of the Reduviidae, including those in the subfamily Triatominae, which suck blood and may transmit Chagas' disease to humans.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna true bug: long-legged predacious bug living mostly on other insects; a few suck blood of mammals

Similar
reduviid
Broader
heteropterous insect
Also see
reduviid

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From assassin + bug.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan xinxa assassina
  • xinxa assassinabug
Finnish petolude
  • petoludebug
German Raubwanze
  • Raubwanzebug
Polish robak z rodziny zajadkowatych
  • robak z rodziny zajadkowatychbug
Russian хищне́ц
  • хищне́ц (xiščnéc)bug
Spanish chinche hocicona, chinche picuda
  • chinche hociconabug
  • chinche picudabug
  • chinchorrobug
  • chipobug
  • chirimachabug
  • pitobug
  • vinchucabug
Cite this entry
APA

assassin bug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assassin%20bug

MLA

“assassin bug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assassin%20bug. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “assassin bug,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assassin%20bug.

Source: assassin bug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.