housefly

noun

house·​fly ˈhau̇s-ˌflī 

: a cosmopolitan dipteran fly (Musca domestica) that is often about human habitations and may act as a mechanical vector of diseases (such as typhoid fever)

also : any of various flies of similar appearance or habitat

Examples of housefly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bake-off could be drawn out to pull the wings off of housefly Powell. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025

Cluster flies may look like houseflies at first glance, but there are a few easy ways to tell them apart. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 27 Jan. 2026

Don't worry—there's not enough booze in here to intoxicate a housefly. — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025

Larger flies, like houseflies, are after decaying matter such as food waste and pet droppings. — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for housefly

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

housefly

noun

house·​fly -ˌflī 

: a two-winged fly that is common about human living places and may spread disease (as typhoid fever)

Medical Definition

housefly

noun

house·​fly -ˌflī 

plural houseflies

: a cosmopolitan dipteran fly of the genus Musca (M. domestica) that is often found about human habitations and may act as a mechanical vector of diseases (as typhoid fever)

also : any of various flies of similar appearance or habitat