earworm

/ˈɪəwɜːm//ˈɪ(ə)ɹˌwɚm/

noun

  1. 1

    A tune that keeps replaying in one's head or that one keeps thinking about, especially if unwanted.

  2. 2

    (originally United States) Short for corn earworm (“larva of the moths Helicoverpa zea (syn. Heliothis zea) and Helicoverpa armigera, which are agricultural pests”).

  3. 3

    An earwig.

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