1. Plural of cockchafer; large European beetles with reddish-brown wing covers and black bodies, commonly seen in spring.
Usage: Also called doodlebugs or May bugs in some regions.; The larvae are known as rookworms and can be agricultural pests.

Examples

• The garden was full of cockchafers in late April.
• Cockchafers emerge from the soil in spring to mate.
• The children watched cockchafers flying clumsily around the trees.
• Farmers have long considered cockchafers a nuisance because their larvae damage crop roots.
• In some parts of Europe, cockchafers are still used as fishing bait.