worm

noun, verb

1 [C] a long thin creature with no bones or legs, that lives in soil: birds looking for worms seealsoEARTHWORM, LUGWORM 2 (worms) [pl.] long thin creatures that live inside the bodies of humans or animals and can cause illness: The dog has worms. seealsoHOOKWORM, TAPEWORM 3 [C] the young form of an insect when it looks like a short worm: This apple is full of worms. seealsoGLOW-WORM, SILKWORM, WOODWORM 4 [C,usually sing.] (informal, disapproving) a person you do not like or respect, especially because they have a weak character and do not behave well towards other people IDIOMS the worm will turn a person who is normally quiet and does not complain will protest when the situation becomes too hard to bear moreatCANҠn. verb [VN] 1 [+adv./prep.] ~ your way... to use a twisting and turning movement, especially to move through a narrow or crowded place: She wormed her way through the crowd to the reception desk. 2 to give an animal medicine that makes worms pass out of its body in the FAECES PHRASALVERBS worm your way / yourself into sth (disapproving) to make sb like you or trust you, in order to gain some advantage for yourself: He managed to worm his way into her life. worm sth out of sb (informal) to make sb tell you sth, by asking them questions in a clever way for a long period of time: We eventually wormed the secret out of her.