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
Miller, whose office is also working to control the flesh-eating parasite, was not part of the event.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Texas is working to protect itself against New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that officials are worried might travel from Mexico to Texas.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
Their eggs, laid in open wounds or on mucous membranes, would then not hatch into the flesh-eating maggots that can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans.
—John Hanna, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Rollins said there was a two-hour meeting at the White House Thursday with six Cabinet members and senior staff on how to contain the spread of the flesh-eating parasite, which is believed to have originated in Mexico and has Texas livestock producers across the border increasingly concerned.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Forces including the Covid-19 pandemic, bird flu, droughts, tariffs, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and flesh-eating screwworms, among others, have all combined to increase the cost of beef, eggs, and other sundries.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
Doctors diagnosed Atkinson with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating bacteria that can be deadly in about 1 in 5 patients, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Each story is interwoven throughout the movie, telling tales of teen terror, frosty family feuds, and flesh-eating elves.
—Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
The shortage has also been made worse by an infestation of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, just across the border in Mexico, significantly curtailing beef imports from that country.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
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.
John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Texas is working to protect itself against New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that officials are worried might travel from Mexico to Texas.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
Their eggs, laid in open wounds or on mucous membranes, would then not hatch into the flesh-eating maggots that can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans.
—John Hanna, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Rollins said there was a two-hour meeting at the White House Thursday with six Cabinet members and senior staff on how to contain the spread of the flesh-eating parasite, which is believed to have originated in Mexico and has Texas livestock producers across the border increasingly concerned.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Forces including the Covid-19 pandemic, bird flu, droughts, tariffs, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and flesh-eating screwworms, among others, have all combined to increase the cost of beef, eggs, and other sundries.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
Doctors diagnosed Atkinson with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating bacteria that can be deadly in about 1 in 5 patients, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Each story is interwoven throughout the movie, telling tales of teen terror, frosty family feuds, and flesh-eating elves.
—Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
The shortage has also been made worse by an infestation of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, just across the border in Mexico, significantly curtailing beef imports from that country.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flesh-eating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
