1 backswimmer | Definition of backswimmer
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backswimmer

noun
back·​swim·​mer | \ ˈbak-ËŒswi-mÉ™r How to pronounce backswimmer (audio) \

Definition of backswimmer

: an aquatic bug (family Notonectidae) that swims on its back

Examples of backswimmer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 The 0.01-inch-long water flea is able to change its body into a bigger (and thus more inedible) shape when threatened by a predator, like the tiny backswimmer, says Anne Estes, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. — National Geographic, "These Tiny Organisms Have Some Really Weird Shapes," 12 Nov. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'backswimmer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of backswimmer

1807, in the meaning defined above

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