flea

noun

: any of an order (Siphonaptera) of small wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals

Illustration of flea

Illustration of flea
Phrases
flea in one's ear
: rebuke
sent him away with a flea in his ear

Examples of flea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web No more fleas, either, or comical renderings of the Catholic sign of the cross. Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Along with her left eye, Legend lost a lot of her fur due to her allergies to fleas, which caused a skin infection, according to the shelter. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The female flea toads were about a millimeter longer than the males on average, measuring about 8.15 millimeters long, compared to the 7.10-millimeter males. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 My favorite one is this affordable, all-natural formula that protects you against mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and ticks and doubles as both a repellent and an anti-itch cream in one. Jennifer Chan, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2024 Brewer recommends keeping cats indoors to prevent them from picking up infected fleas, as well as using flea medications for cats and dogs. Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024 At one time, there were more surf shops in this one town than fleas on a junkyard dog. Corky Carroll, Orange County Register, 26 Jan. 2024 It also could be transmitted through the bite of an infected flea. Katia Hetter, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Cats are particularly susceptible and can catch the illness after eating infected rodents or being bitten by an infected flea. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fle, from Old English flēa; akin to Old High German flōh flea

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flea was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near flea

Cite this Entry

“Flea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flea. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flea

noun
: any of an order of small wingless bloodsucking insects with a hard body and legs used for leaping

Medical Definition

flea

noun
: any of the order Siphonaptera comprising wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals see cat flea, chigoe sense 1, dog flea, rat flea, sand flea, sticktight flea

More from Merriam-Webster on flea

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