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
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
That small scratch on Lyons’ leg became the entryway for Vibrio vulnificus, also known as flesh-eating bacteria.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 27 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
State health officials are warning beachgoers about a flesh-eating bacteria that can be fatal in a matter of days if swimmers become infected with it.
—Evan Moore
august 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2025
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Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
That small scratch on Lyons’ leg became the entryway for Vibrio vulnificus, also known as flesh-eating bacteria.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 27 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
State health officials are warning beachgoers about a flesh-eating bacteria that can be fatal in a matter of days if swimmers become infected with it.
—Evan Moore
august 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flesh-eating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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