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
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This interactive project looks at the impact of warmer, shorter winters on regions all over the country, from less ice fishing in Minnesota and fewer ski days in Colorado to drying reservoirs in the Southwest and more ticks and mosquitoes in the Northeast.
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
We are being told by our county public health authorities to not have any standing water on our properties because they can be used by mosquitoes to breed.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
Similar plant progressions occur by altitude on the mountains, along with the forest’s famed denizens, the wolf, coyote, moose, black bear, lynx, snowshoe hare, tick, mosquito, midge, deerfly, and blackfly.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
In the evening, the whole place twinkles from the lights of a hundred lanterns and flares, which also serve to keep away mosquitoes.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mosquito
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Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
We are being told by our county public health authorities to not have any standing water on our properties because they can be used by mosquitoes to breed.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
Similar plant progressions occur by altitude on the mountains, along with the forest’s famed denizens, the wolf, coyote, moose, black bear, lynx, snowshoe hare, tick, mosquito, midge, deerfly, and blackfly.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
In the evening, the whole place twinkles from the lights of a hundred lanterns and flares, which also serve to keep away mosquitoes.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 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 28 Apr. 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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