bullet ant

noun

A stinging ant (Paraponera clavata) the toxin of which causes intense pain for about a day, native to Central and South America.

Similar
Paraponera clavataP. clavatalesser giant hunting antconga anttucanderatucandeira
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Meanings

nounbullet ant (plural bullet ants)

plural bullet ants

  1. informalbiologyA stinging ant (Paraponera clavata) the toxin of which causes intense pain for about a day, native to Central and South America.

    Synonyms: Paraponera clavata, P. clavata, lesser giant hunting ant, conga ant, tucandera, tucandeira

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA stinging ant (Paraponera clavata) the toxin of which causes intense pain for about a day, native to Central and South America.

Similar
Paraponera clavataP. clavatalesser giant hunting antconga anttucanderatucandeira

Origin

From bullet + ant. From being an ant having a poisonous stinging bite, whose pain is described to be comparable to being hit by a bullet.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Portuguese tocandira
  • tocandiraParaponera clavata
Spanish hormiga bala, folofa
  • hormiga balaParaponera clavata
  • folofaParaponera clavata
  • tucanderaParaponera clavata
  • yanabeParaponera clavata
  • congaParaponera clavata
Cite this entry
APA

bullet ant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bullet%20ant

MLA

“bullet ant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bullet%20ant. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bullet ant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bullet%20ant.

Source: bullet ant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.