flesh-eating
adjective
flesh-eat·ing
ˈflesh-ˌē-tiŋ 
: feeding on or destroying flesh or soft tissue
A Kentucky man was diagnosed with a flesh-eating infection after he went camping along the Green River.—
Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
Dayton (Ohio) Daily News… infestation by blowflies whose eggs hatch into flesh-eating maggots.—Kerry Capell
Kerry CapellBut according to Eugenie Clark, a University of Maryland zoologist, "the white shark, the largest flesh-eating fish, is anything but a mindless, constant eating machine."—Discover
DiscoverNatural history buffs will find … a 145-million-year-old foot from the Allosaur, one of the largest flesh-eating dinosaurs …—Carolyn Hughes Crowley
see also flesh-eating bacterium, flesh-eating disease
Carolyn Hughes CrowleyExamples of flesh-eating in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s the increase in cases of flesh-eating bacteria along the East Coast from 1988 to 2018, according to the CDC.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Two people have died after eating oysters contaminated with flesh-eating bacteria, health officials confirmed, and others have been infected.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) became authorized Tuesday to allow the use of animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that has recently disrupted the cattle industry.
—Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Residents and visitors on the south end of Cape Cod are on alert after officials identified a person with a rare, flesh-eating bacterial infection in the area.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
The flesh-eating bacteria is fatal for 1 in 5 people, according to the CDC, which warns that some people die within a day or two of exhibiting symptoms.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025
Topline Almost a dozen people have died this year in the Southeast after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus that thrives in warm water and can be exacerbated by hurricanes hitting the coast.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The bacteria can get into the body through open wounds in the skin and cause the surrounding tissue to die, a condition known as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Shreya Srinivasan, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
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Jade Walker, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Two people have died after eating oysters contaminated with flesh-eating bacteria, health officials confirmed, and others have been infected.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) became authorized Tuesday to allow the use of animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that has recently disrupted the cattle industry.
—Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Residents and visitors on the south end of Cape Cod are on alert after officials identified a person with a rare, flesh-eating bacterial infection in the area.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
The flesh-eating bacteria is fatal for 1 in 5 people, according to the CDC, which warns that some people die within a day or two of exhibiting symptoms.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025
Topline Almost a dozen people have died this year in the Southeast after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus that thrives in warm water and can be exacerbated by hurricanes hitting the coast.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The bacteria can get into the body through open wounds in the skin and cause the surrounding tissue to die, a condition known as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Shreya Srinivasan, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flesh-eating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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