pest

pest — noun

1. a small animal or insect that harms crops, stored food, or buildings and is hard

1.名詞B2
釋義

a small animal or insect that harms crops, stored food, or buildings and is hard to control.

例句

Farmers set traps after rats became a pest in the corn field.

become a pest in + place

The tomato plants were dying because a green beetle had become a pest.

common crop-damage context

同義詞
  • vermin

    stronger and uglier in tone; often used for rats, mice, or similar animals

  • bug

    informal and usually limited to insects, not harmful animals in general

  • nuisance

    broader word for something troublesome, not specifically crop-damaging

文法句型

a pest

pests + verb

become a pest

a pest in + place

用法筆記

Often used for animals or insects that damage crops, stored food, homes, or hotel rooms. Distinguish from sense 2, where pest refers to a person who keeps bothering others.

常見錯誤

❌Rabbits ate our carrots, but they are not pests because they are not insects.
✅Rabbits ate our carrots, so they are pests.
💡a pest can be a small animal, not only an insect.
❌There are many pest in the rice field.
✅There are many pests in the rice field.
💡use the plural form for more than one harmful animal or insect.

2. a person, often a child, who keeps annoying other people.

2.名詞B2
釋義

a person, often a child, who keeps annoying other people.

例句

Ben's little brother was a pest and kept tapping the car window.

be a pest + repeated action

At lunch, Nina's cousin became a pest by asking for her phone.

同義詞
  • nuisance

    broader and more neutral; can describe things and situations as well as people

  • pain

    informal and more impatient or negative than pest

  • bother

    lighter informal word for a small everyday annoyance

  • brat

    used only for a badly behaved child and sounds ruder

文法句型

be a pest

call someone a pest

little pest

用法筆記

Usually said about someone who annoys people again and again, not about one single mistake. Distinguish from sense 1, which names harmful animals or insects rather than people.

常見錯誤

❌My little brother is a pest to me.
✅My little brother is a pest.
💡after 'be a pest', do not add 'to' before the annoyed person.
❌The waiter forgot one spoon, so he is a pest.
✅The waiter forgot one spoon, so he made a mistake.
💡'pest' suggests repeated annoying behaviour, not one small error.