Illustration of mosquito
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō 
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of a family (Culicidae) of dipteran flies with females that have a set of slender organs in the proboscis adapted to puncture the skin of animals and to suck their blood and that are in some cases vectors of serious diseases
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My collaborators collected these mosquitoes at 16 locations ranging from the Atlantic coast of Brazil to the Pacific side of the Andes in Colombia.
—
Jacob A Tennessen, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Watch out for fast-moving afternoon thunderstorms in July and August, and before mid-August, bring gear to deter mosquitoes and biting flies.
—Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Industry reaction Chlorpyrifos is used to control different kinds of pests, like termites, mosquitoes and roundworms, among crops, according to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at Oregon State University.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 23 Mar. 2026
In Cuba, where many fear the prospect of no electricity come summer, with its muggy heat and swarms of disease-carrying mosquitoes, people are getting creative.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mosquito
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Jacob A Tennessen, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Watch out for fast-moving afternoon thunderstorms in July and August, and before mid-August, bring gear to deter mosquitoes and biting flies.
—Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Industry reaction Chlorpyrifos is used to control different kinds of pests, like termites, mosquitoes and roundworms, among crops, according to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at Oregon State University.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 23 Mar. 2026
In Cuba, where many fear the prospect of no electricity come summer, with its muggy heat and swarms of disease-carrying mosquitoes, people are getting creative.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mosquito
Cite this Entry
“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-ō
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous two-winged flies of which the females have a needlelike structure of the mouth region adapted to puncture the skin and suck the blood of animals
Etymology
from Spanish mosquito "mosquito," literally "little fly," from mosca "fly"
Medical Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous dipteran flies of the family Culicidae that have a rather narrow abdomen, usually a long slender rigid proboscis, and narrow wings with a fringe of scales on the margin and usually on each side of the wing veins, that have in the male broad feathery antennae and mouthparts not fitted for piercing and in the female slender antennae and a set of needlelike organs in the proboscis with which they puncture the skin of animals to suck the blood, that lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant water, that include many species which pass through several generations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults or winter in the egg state, and that include some species which are the only vectors of certain diseases see aedes, anopheles, culex
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