: any of a family (Calliphoridae) of dipteran flies (such as the bluebottle or screwworm) that deposit their eggs especially on meat or in wounds
Examples of blowfly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of the bones also had evidence of blowfly pupae, meaning the bones would have been defleshed before they were put in the ground as opposed to the entire body of the mammoth being left, according to the study.
—
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024
To capture the blowfly’s beating wings, researchers increased the resolution of the technique, and tethered the blowfly to a rotating table.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2014
Studies in Israel, Malaysia and India all suggest that blowflies are effective at pollinating mangoes, while trials in the US and New Zealand showed that the European blue blowfly (Calliphora vicina) produced as good a yield of leek and carrot seed as bees.
—Stephanie Pain, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2021
The blue, green and yellow muscles are the blowfly's steering muscles.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2014
The blowfly’s secret to flight wasn’t a complete mystery to scientists.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2014
Entomologists at North Carolina State University have even genetically tweaked blowfly maggots to also produce a human growth factor that could boost their healing powers.
—Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 2 June 2021
There may be a reason for that—some research has suggested the behavior keeps wounds clean and free of blowflies, a decidedly less friendly hitchhiker.
—National Geographic, 27 Feb. 2018
So the investigator had every worker lay down his tool in a field, and observed that just one sickle attracted blowflies, which were known to seek out blood.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2017
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024
To capture the blowfly’s beating wings, researchers increased the resolution of the technique, and tethered the blowfly to a rotating table.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2014
Studies in Israel, Malaysia and India all suggest that blowflies are effective at pollinating mangoes, while trials in the US and New Zealand showed that the European blue blowfly (Calliphora vicina) produced as good a yield of leek and carrot seed as bees.
—Stephanie Pain, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2021
The blue, green and yellow muscles are the blowfly's steering muscles.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2014
The blowfly’s secret to flight wasn’t a complete mystery to scientists.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2014
Entomologists at North Carolina State University have even genetically tweaked blowfly maggots to also produce a human growth factor that could boost their healing powers.
—Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 2 June 2021
There may be a reason for that—some research has suggested the behavior keeps wounds clean and free of blowflies, a decidedly less friendly hitchhiker.
—National Geographic, 27 Feb. 2018
So the investigator had every worker lay down his tool in a field, and observed that just one sickle attracted blowflies, which were known to seek out blood.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blowfly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Blowfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowfly. Accessed 20 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blowfly
noun
blow·fly
ˈblō-ˌflī 
: any of various two-winged flies (as a bluebottle) that deposit their eggs on meat or in wounds
Medical Definition
blowfly
noun
blow·fly
-ˌflī
plural blowflies
: any dipteran fly (as a bluebottle or a screwworm) of the family Calliphoridae
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