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
In Texas, ranchers are bracing for an onslaught of screwworms, the flesh-eating maggots of blowflies.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
New World screwworm has burrowed its way back into the United States after the flesh-eating parasite was eliminated here decades ago.
—
Jen Reeder,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Health officials are warning that the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite once thought eradicated from the US, has resurfaced and is threatening cattle, wildlife and pets.
—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Entomologist Amy Murillo shared a rare, up-close look at the flesh-eating fly now terrorizing cattle and dairy farmers.
—
Kara Finnstrom,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Continue reading … SELENE RODRIGUEZ & AMMON BLAIR — While Mexico defends ‘sovereignty,’ cartels import a flesh-eating parasite into Texas.
—
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
The flesh-eating parasite has infected cattle, goats, and now a dog.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
17 June 2026
Like other warm-blooded animals, newborn deer are especially vulnerable to the flesh-eating parasites.
—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Tirzah Thompson, the mother of 17-year-old Joziah Thompson, is speaking out after his swim in local waters left him hospitalized with a severe Vibrio vulnificus infection, often referred to as a flesh-eating bacteria, according to a GoFundMe.
—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
New World screwworm has burrowed its way back into the United States after the flesh-eating parasite was eliminated here decades ago.
—
Jen Reeder,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Health officials are warning that the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite once thought eradicated from the US, has resurfaced and is threatening cattle, wildlife and pets.
—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Entomologist Amy Murillo shared a rare, up-close look at the flesh-eating fly now terrorizing cattle and dairy farmers.
—
Kara Finnstrom,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Continue reading … SELENE RODRIGUEZ & AMMON BLAIR — While Mexico defends ‘sovereignty,’ cartels import a flesh-eating parasite into Texas.
—
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
The flesh-eating parasite has infected cattle, goats, and now a dog.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
17 June 2026
Like other warm-blooded animals, newborn deer are especially vulnerable to the flesh-eating parasites.
—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Tirzah Thompson, the mother of 17-year-old Joziah Thompson, is speaking out after his swim in local waters left him hospitalized with a severe Vibrio vulnificus infection, often referred to as a flesh-eating bacteria, according to a GoFundMe.
—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flesh-eating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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