lemming
any of various small, mouselike rodents of several genera including Lemmus, Myopus, and Dicrostonyx, of far northern regions, as L. lemmus, of Norway, Sweden, etc., noted for periodic mass migrations that sometimes involve crossing bodies of water. Incidental drownings that have occurred during such passage gave rise to the myth of mass suicides among supposedly frenzied lemmings jumping from cliffs into the sea.
a person who follows the will of others, especially in a mass movement, and heads straight into a situation or circumstance that is dangerous, stupid, or destructive: These lemmings that eat up conspiracy theories are so blinded by lies, they don’t even see the cliff they’re about to plummet over.
Origin of lemming
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use lemming in a sentence
The same predictable, partisan-fueled march of the lemmings shows up in questions about monitoring email.
Why We Get the Police State We Deserve—and What We Can Do to Fix That | Nick Gillespie | June 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIf, on the other hand, America is willing its decline, who are these lemmings exactly?
Arctic foxes feed largely on sea-birds and lemmings, laying up hidden stores of the last-named rodents for winter use.
The way in which squirrels, rats, voles, and lemmings devour nuts and the like often leads to the distribution of the fruit.
The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott ElliotHere its food consists of lemmings, Alpine hares, and birds, particularly the willow-grouse and ptarmigan.
Poachers and Poaching | John Watson
Wolverines, Mink, Weasels, and Lemmings help to consume unprotected caribou bodies.
The Barren Ground Caribou of Keewatin | Francis HarperWe saw several species of gulls, a snowy owl—which by the way was very shy—a few lemmings, and the tracks of foxes and of bears.
The First Landing on Wrangel Island | Irving C. Rosse
British Dictionary definitions for lemming
/ (ˈlɛmɪŋ) /
any of various volelike rodents of the genus Lemmus and related genera, of northern and arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America: family Cricetidae. The Scandinavian variety, Lemmus lemmus, migrates periodically when its population reaches a peak
a member of any large group following an unthinking course towards mass destruction
Origin of lemming
1Derived forms of lemming
- lemming-like, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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