- Any one of numerous species of large, rapacious, aquatic, hemipterous insects belonging to Belostoma, Benacus, Zaitha, and other genera of the family Belostomatidae. Their hind legs are long and fringed, and act like oars. Some of these insects are of great size, being among the largest existing Hemiptera. Many of them come out of the water and fly about at night.
- The Croton bug.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). water bug. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/water_bug/definitions/2080849 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "water bug" http://smartdefine.org/water_bug/definitions/2080849 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, water bug, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/water_bug/definitions/2080849>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "water bug" 28 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/water_bug/definitions/2080849> |