Definition

1. Noun:
   • A termite: "white ant" is a common name for a pale, soft-bodied social insect that resembles an ant and feeds on wood, often causing structural damage.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The old house was infested with white ants.
  • We need to treat the timber to protect it from white ants.

Advanced Usage

• "white ant damage": structural harm caused by termites.
  • The inspection revealed significant white ant damage in the floorboards.

Variants and Related Words

• Termite (n): the more precise scientific and common term for a white ant.
  • Termites are sometimes mistakenly called white ants.

Synonyms

• Termite: wood-eating social insect.
• Wood ant (less common, can be ambiguous): sometimes used informally.

Related Phrases

• "to white-ant" (verb, chiefly Australian informal): to undermine or subvert from within.
  • He was accused of trying to white-ant the manager's authority.
  • (Note: This phrasal verb is derived from the noun but is a distinct, figurative usage.)

Noun

1. whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood