vermin.

Animals regarded as pests because they damage property, spread disease, or contaminate supplies.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• vermin infestation
• control of vermin

On the page

Signs of vermin appeared around the torn sacks.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror / gothic. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: atmosphere, description. Commonness: moderately common.