Standard Lemma guide

vermin

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈvɜːmɪn/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [ˈvɜːmɪn]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈvɝmɪn/
  • General-American: [ˈvɝmɪn]
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)mɪn
  • CMU ARPABET: V ER1 M IH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, singular

Examples

  • The area was crawling with all sorts of vermin: fleas, lice, mice, and rats to name a few. Thus, we felt as if vermin were crawling over us.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An animal that preys on game, such as a fox or a weasel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, singular

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An obnoxious or mean and offensive person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, singular

Examples

  • Bring these vermin to the Palace of Justice.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

any of various small animals or insects that are pests; e.g. cockroaches or rats

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • cereals must be protected from mice and other vermin
  • he examined the child's head for vermin
  • boys in the village have probably been shooting vermin

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pest

5

noun

Meaning 5

an irritating or obnoxious person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: varmint

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bad person

History

Etymology

From Middle English vermyn, vermyne, from Old French vermine, from Vulgar Latin *verminum (“vermin”), collective noun formed from Latin vermis (“worm”). Compare vermiculate and vermivorous. See also worm.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَشَاش (ḵašāš) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Arabic: هَامَّة (hāmma) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Bashkir: ҡоротҡос (qorotqos) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Bulgarian: вреди́тел (vredítel) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Bulgarian: гадина (gadina) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Catalan: menjança — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 害蟲 /害虫 (hàichóng) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寄生蟲 /寄生虫 (jìshēngchóng) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Czech: havěť — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Czech: škodná — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Danish: skadedyr — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Dutch: ongedierte — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Esperanto: fiinsekto — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Esperanto: bestetaĉoj — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Finnish: tuhoeläin — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Finnish: tuholainen — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Finnish: syöpäläinen — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • French: vermine — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Galician: alimaria — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Galician: liscace — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Georgian: მავნებელი (mavnebeli) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Georgian: პარაზიტი (ṗaraziṭi) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • German: Ungeziefer — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • German: Schädlinge — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • German: Gewürm — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Hebrew: שֶׁרֶץ (shéretz) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Hungarian: kártevő — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Hungarian: élősdi — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Hungarian: féreg — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Irish: míolra — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Italian: parassita — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Japanese: 害虫 (gaichū) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Japanese: 害獣 (gaijū) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Kazakh: зиянкес (ziänkes) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Korean: 해충 (haechung) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Latin: blatta — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Macedonian: штеточина (štetočina) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Middle English: vermyn — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Persian: حشره موذی (hašare-ye muzi) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Persian: جک و جانور (jak-o-jânevar) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Polish: robactwo — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Portuguese: vermina — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Russian: вреди́тель (vredítelʹ) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Russian: парази́т (parazít) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Russian: гад (gad) — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Slovak: háveď — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Spanish: alimaña — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Spanish: sabandija — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Spanish: alimania — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Swedish: skadedjur — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Swedish: ohyra — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Vilamovian: wiym — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Volapük: minimil — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Volapük: minimilem — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Volapük: dämabanim — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Volapük: dämabanäsäk — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Welsh: pryf — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Welsh: pryfed — Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
  • Bulgarian: гад (gad) — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Catalan: gentola — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歹徒 (dǎitú) — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Czech: verbež — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Czech: chamraď — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Czech: pakáž — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Czech: neřád — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Finnish: kiusankappale — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Finnish: nilkki — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • French: vermine — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • German: Gesindel — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • German: Pack — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Persian: اراذل (arâzel) — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Polish: szkodnik — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Portuguese: verme — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Russian: гад (gad) — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Russian: подо́нок (podónok) — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Russian: гни́да (gnída) — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Slovak: čvarga — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Spanish: gentuza — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Spanish: sabandija — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Spanish: alimaña — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
  • Spanish: alimania — An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person