black widow

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈblack ˈwid•ow, n. [countable]

1. Invertebrates a poisonous black spider of warm regions.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

black′ wid′ow, 

1. Invertebrates a venomous spider, Latrodectus mactans, widely distributed in the U.S., the female of which is jet-black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen.

• 1910–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

black widow, black widow spider noun

1. an American spider, Latrodectus mactans, the female of which is black with red markings, highly venomous, and commonly eats its mate