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
New York — The screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite and longtime foe of American ranchers, is back in US cattle after decades.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Ravenous, flesh-eating flies have busted through containment barriers and have now reemerged in the US.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
Screwworm flies cause myiasis, an infection of flesh-eating maggots that burrow into the skin of living animals, causing serious and often fatal damage.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 9 June 2026
The United States spent more than half a century and hundreds of millions of dollars driving the flesh-eating New World screwworm as far from its borders as possible.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 June 2026
Florida has enacted emergency rules aimed at keeping the destructive New World screwworm out of the state after the flesh-eating parasite was detected in Texas just days ago.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Health officials in Florida have confirmed five cases of a rare, flesh-eating bacteria so far in 2026.
—Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
The bacteria, found in salt and brackish water, can cause flesh-eating infections and thrives as coastal waters warm.
—Eva Flowe
june 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Ravenous, flesh-eating flies have busted through containment barriers and have now reemerged in the US.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
Screwworm flies cause myiasis, an infection of flesh-eating maggots that burrow into the skin of living animals, causing serious and often fatal damage.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 9 June 2026
The United States spent more than half a century and hundreds of millions of dollars driving the flesh-eating New World screwworm as far from its borders as possible.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 June 2026
Florida has enacted emergency rules aimed at keeping the destructive New World screwworm out of the state after the flesh-eating parasite was detected in Texas just days ago.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Health officials in Florida have confirmed five cases of a rare, flesh-eating bacteria so far in 2026.
—Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
The bacteria, found in salt and brackish water, can cause flesh-eating infections and thrives as coastal waters warm.
—Eva Flowe
june 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flesh-eating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
