face fly

noun

: a European dipteran fly (Musca autumnalis) that is similar to the housefly, is widely established in North America, and causes distress to livestock by clustering about the face

Examples of face fly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His face flies on a flag outside the team’s new stadium and he’s often found in the team’s supporter section, where its most devoted fans gather. —

Bob Smietana, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023 So how about a bright yellow happy face fly swatter? —

René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 9 Dec. 2020 The worms move from eye to eye via face flies, aka Musca autumnalis, which feast on tears. —

Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 6 Nov. 2019 The parasites often spread among cows - their preferred hosts - through certain types of face flies that eat eye secretions, such as tears, the Oct. 22 paper said. —

Allyson Chiu, chicagotribune.com, 7 Nov. 2019 That larvae then need to hop back on board a face fly to complete its complicated life cycle. —

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 14 Feb. 2018 The worm may have found its way to Beckley via a face fly. —

Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com, 14 Feb. 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'face fly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of face fly was in 1959

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Face fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20fly. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

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Medical Definition

face fly

noun

: a European fly of the genus Musca (M. autumnalis) that is similar to the housefly, is widely established in North America, and causes distress in livestock by clustering about the face