hy·per·par·a·site
ˌhī-pər-ˈper-ə-ˌsīt 
-ˈpa-rə-
: a parasite that is parasitic upon another parasite
1
: the quality or state of being hyperparasitic
2
: parasitism involving excessive numbers of parasites
Examples of hyperparasite in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew Wight, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021
Hyperparasites are parasites that take advantage of other parasites, such as parasitic wasps that lay eggs in other parasitic wasps that in turn lay eggs in caterpillars.
—Andrew Forbes, National Geographic, 25 Jan. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Gomez-Zapata, a PhD student at the Aime lab at Purdue University, says that a hyperparasite is a parasite whose host is another parasite.
—Andrew Wight, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021
Hyperparasites are parasites that take advantage of other parasites, such as parasitic wasps that lay eggs in other parasitic wasps that in turn lay eggs in caterpillars.
—Andrew Forbes, National Geographic, 25 Jan. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Hyperparasite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyperparasite. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hyperparasite
noun
hy·per·par·a·site
ˌhī-pər-ˈpar-ə-ˌsīt
: a parasite that is parasitic upon another parasite
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
