How to Use periodical cicada in a Sentence

periodical cicada

noun
Definition of periodical cicadanext
  • The periodical cicadas have emerged for the first time in 17 years and are part of two broods.
    — Fox News, 27 May 2024
  • The app's goal is to map the 2021 emergence of the periodical cicada Brood X (and other broods of course).
    — Sarah Brookbank, The Enquirer, 21 Apr. 2021
  • The periodical cicadas are among the millions in the area that have emerged from the ground and taken to the trees during the past couple of weeks as part of their 17-year hatch cycle.
    — Li Cohen, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Three years ago, when one of the largest broods of periodical cicadas emerged across a swath of the eastern U.S., users sent in more than half a million photos.
    — Jasper Davidoff, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
  • The lower halves of the periodical cicadas get replaced by a plug of fungus.
    — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 7 May 2024
  • There are two groups of periodical cicadas – those that emerge every 13 years and those that emerge every 17 years.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
  • This summer, the number of periodical cicadas is expected to be extra large, as two broods emerge at the same time.
    — Evan Bush, NBC News, 29 Apr. 2024
  • Brood X -- pronounced Brood 10 for the roman numeral -- is one of the 15 periodical cicada broods in the U.S.
    — Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, 12 May 2021
  • Many animals are pleased with the abundance of periodical cicadas—as a meal.
    — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 7 May 2024
  • Trillions of periodical cicadas from two broods are emerging from their underground habitats in over a dozen states this year, filling the air and creating a lot of noise in the process.
    — Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 18 May 2024
  • The periodical cicadas are part of what scientists have labeled as Brood IX.
    — Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 20 May 2020
  • For well over a decade, periodical cicadas do very little.
    — Vox Staff, Vox, 6 May 2024
  • This year may be an anomaly due to a cold spell delaying the periodical cicada arrival in Ohio and Indiana.
    — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 May 2021
  • In contrast, periodical cicadas have either a 13- or 17-year life cycle and tend to emerge in May or early June for a short mating cycle (about four weeks) before dying off.
    — Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 May 2024
  • Kritsky wants to remind people about Smith and how his long and careful study of the periodical cicada set the foundation for future researchers.
    — Washington Post, 26 May 2021
  • There are seven species of periodical cicadas – three that appear every 17 years and four that appear every 13.
    — Li Cohen, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2024
  • There are two types of cicadas that are common in Eastern U.S. states: Annual and periodical cicadas.
    — The Enquirer, 22 Jan. 2024
  • The seven species of periodical cicadas show up on 13- or 17-year cycles, spending most of their lives underground, but their chorus could be louder this year when their life cycles sync up for the first time in centuries.
    — Keely Brewer, The Daily Memphian, and Brittney J. Miller, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Journal Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Trillions of periodical cicadas are already emerging in a rare, two brood event across multiple states, with more expected to come in the following weeks.
    — Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
  • In years when periodical cicadas emerge, tree flagging, or patches of withered and wilted leaves, can be widespread and dramatic.
    — USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Though some cicadas surface every year, periodical cicadas spend most of their lives underground before emerging en masse every 13 or 17 years to mate and start the cycle over again.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
  • Billions of periodical cicadas are emerging from the soil in the eastern United States and Midwest after living underground for 17 years.
    — Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 May 2024
  • These periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years depending on the brood, differ from the annual cicadas that appear every year in many states.
    — Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
  • There are also seven different species of periodical cicadas in eastern North America, four of which emerge every 13 years, and three of which emerge every 17 years.
    — Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2024
  • There are four periodical cicada broods currently in Long Island, all timed to emerge in different years.
    — New York Times, 19 May 2021
  • The life cycle of a periodical cicada is unlike any other.
    — London Gibson, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2021
  • The winged insects are expected to appear across the Midwest and Southeast starting early May, in a double emergence of two different broods of periodical cicadas.
    — Denise Chow, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
  • Above ground, periodical cicadas have a similar life cycle, appear in much larger numbers and are much louder.
    — Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
  • But others, called periodical cicadas, spend either 13 or 17 years underground, feeding on tree root sap, before surfacing in huge groups called broods in the spring or early summer.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023
  • The fungus only targets 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas, per the outlet, and has already infected cicadas in Champaign.
    — Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'periodical cicada.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: