deer tick

noun

: an ixodid tick (Ixodes scapularis synonym I. dammini) of the eastern U.S. and Canada that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease

called also black-legged tick

Illustration of deer tick

Examples of deer tick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some ticks, like the deer tick, are active year-round, and dog ticks come out during spring and summer. —Elle Meyers, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria carried by Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick, or deer tick. —Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026

Not all ticks transmit Lyme, but in the Northeast, researchers say up to 50% of adult deer ticks may carry the Lyme-causing bacteria. —Alice Park, Time, 30 Mar. 2026

Amid last year’s government shutdown, Stewart missed his only opportunity in the year to collect ticks from deer at hunting stations — his best chance to see if deer ticks had become established in Montana. —Rachana Pradhan, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for deer tick

• broomstick
• dipstick
• homesick
• joystick
• lipstick
• nonstick
• pickwick
• picnic
• redbrick
• seasick
• sidekick
• slapstick

Kids Definition

deer tick

noun

: a tick that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease

Medical Definition

deer tick

noun

ˈdi(ə)r- 

: a tick of the genus Ixodes (I. scapularis synonym I. dammini) that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease