Noun a problem with head lice Her ex-husband is a real louse.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
It’s one thing to be a total louse to your girlfriend, but to do that to your daughter is awful! Annie Lane, cleveland, 6 Sep. 2022 Vines not needing such grafting are rare but still exist on sandy soils, through which the louse cannot tunnel. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 24 July 2022 After century phylloxera louse decimated vineyards throughout the world in the 18th century, such grafting solved this international problem. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 24 July 2022 Now, Galassi and American louse workers say, infestation rates are back to pre-lockdown norms, despite school COVID-19 protections.oregonlive, 28 Nov. 2021 An Edmontosaurus is a cozy home for a louse and its prolific, extended family—foot after foot of supple dinosaur flesh just waiting for tiny piercing mouthparts. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2022 The winery name and logo evoke the vine louse that destroyed much of Europe’s vineyards in the late 1800s.Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022 But even a school nurse might be shocked at their real staying power; scientists have previously found louse eggs still stubbornly stuck to ancient hair after 10,000 years. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2021 This shape hair is physically easier for the louse claw to attach to. Danielle James, Allure, 28 Dec. 2021
Verb
Will Ferrell figure out a way to get along, their fathers (Mel Gibson, John Lithgow) show up for the holidays to louse everything up in this comedy sequel. Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English lous, from Old English lūs; akin to Old High German lūs louse, Welsh llau lice
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a