pheromone
noun
pher·o·mone
| \ ˈfer-ə-ˌmōn
\
\
Definition of pheromone
: a chemical substance that is usually produced by an animal and serves especially as a stimulus to other individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses
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Other Words from pheromone
pheromonal
\ ˌfer-ə-ˈmō-nᵊl
\
adjective
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adjective
Examples of pheromone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The point is to NOT squish them and release the pheromones that only attract more JBs. — Bonnie Blodgett, Twin Cities, "Blundering Gardener: Readers share observations about fireflies and the dreaded Japanese beetles," 3 Aug. 2019 Males typically make their way to a rendezvous by following female pheromones back to their source. — Knvul Sheikh, New York Times, "How Does a Male Black Widow Find a Mate? Follow the Other Guys," 31 July 2019 Nearly 201 genes stood out, including those that coded for some of the Komodo dragon’s most unusual traits, like their ability to use pheromones to target and ambush prey. — Kelly Mayes, Science | AAAS, "How Komodo dragons survive deadly bites from other Komodos," 29 July 2019 Once the insects arrive, the males use pheromones to attract other males and females. — Washington Post, "Tree-eating beetle gains ground in US West, raising concerns," 26 July 2019 First, plug-in canine and feline pheromones where the pets will spend most of their time, initially, so that everyone has equal chance to feel at ease. — Cathy M. Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Pet World: Will insect repellent hurt dogs who lick people’s skin?," 26 July 2019 As Walawalkar explains, the queen emits pheromones upon taking flight, encouraging the drones to follow and compete for the honor of mating with her. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Swarms of Flying Ants Overtaking Great Britain Show Up as Rain on Radar," 20 July 2019 For cats, a diffuser or spray called Feliway, which is also available at pet stores and online, releases a pheromone that is a calming scent for cats (most humans can’t smell it). — Tanya Edwards, BostonGlobe.com, "Here’s how to keep your pets from freaking out during summer fireworks," 26 June 2019 When the beetle larvae hatch, they group together and begin emitting a specific pheromone. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "How Horror Beetles Hitchhike on Bees And Then Eat Their Young," 12 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pheromone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for pheromone
pheromone
noun
English Language Learners Definition of pheromone
biology
: a chemical substance that an animal or insect produces in order to attract other animals or insects and especially a mate
See the full definition for pheromone in the English Language Learners Dictionary
pheromone
noun
pher·o·mone
| \ ˈfer-ə-ˌmōn
\
\
Medical Definition of pheromone
: a chemical substance that is produced by an animal and serves especially as a stimulus to other individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses
— called also ectohormone