Definition of "thrips" [thrips]

• Any of various minute insects of the order Thysanoptera, having usually four narrow wings fringed with hairs, and many of which are major pests of cereals and fruit trees. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Treasure Valley's onion fields are furrow-irrigated, and aerial spraying is the only practical way to combat an onion-killing insect called thrips, or thunderbugs."
• "Another one is pollinated by thrips, which is a quite uncommon pollination mutualism"
• "The culprit: small bugs called thrips and aphids attracted to strawberries and a variety of vegetables."