blowfly

noun

blow·​fly ˈblō-ˌflī 

: 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

Miller proposed using the same facilities that are producing sterile male flies to produce fertile blowflies to replenish that population if their numbers dwindle as a result of the traps. — Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026

In Texas, ranchers are bracing for an onslaught of screwworms, the flesh-eating maggots of blowflies. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

The new species is Lucilia cuprina, or Australian sheep blowfly. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 June 2026

Screwworms are a type of blue-gray blowfly and look very similar to black flies found in the United States. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined above

Kids 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