flypaper

noun fly·pa·per \ ˈflī-ˌpā-pər \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of flypaper

: paper coated with a sticky often poisonous substance for killing flies

See flypaper defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of flypaper from the Web

Inside the store, a long strip of yellowish-brown flypaper dangled from the ceiling, and dozens of small insects were stuck to the surface.

— michael a. gonzales, The Root, "Roses," 25 Mar. 2018
Handing a candy cane to a child is like volunteering to coat your home in flypaper.

— drew magary, GQ, "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Are a Lie, and Other Holiday Food Facts," 19 Dec. 2017
The loose-limbed, dim-witted dog Pluto was an unequal match for a piece of flypaper.

— lily rothman, Time, "'Molding Myths and Spinning Fantasies': Read Walt Disney's Obituary From 1966," 15 Dec. 2017
Within its competitive set, however, this Subie lacks the Honda Civic Type R’s flypaper-like grip, the Ford Focus RS’s heady thrust, and the Volkswagen Golf R’s near-luxury refinement.

— mike sutton, Car and Driver, "2018 Subaru WRX STI," 30 Oct. 2017
Using a pneumatic control system, an operator can make the bot turn corners and even squeeze itself through a narrow crack between two pieces of sticky flypaper.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "Meet your new fungible, phallic robot friend," 20 July 2017
Sachiko Boland, who runs Colorado Bat Rescue, told Denver 7 that flypaper can be a bat's worst enemy.

— joy johnston, ajc, "Bat rescuers warn people to stop using flypaper," 29 June 2017
If a bat comes in contact with flypaper, its fur and wings can be torn, causing a tremendous amount of pain.

— joy johnston, ajc, "Bat rescuers warn people to stop using flypaper," 29 June 2017
Basically, thirsty beasts would wade in, get stuck flypaper style, start bleating in dismay, and then gangs of local carnivores would rush over to rend them, and the entire rugby scrim would get stuck and die in the sun.

— wired staff, WIRED, "Spent the Weekend at the Tar Pit," 5 July 2005

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flypaper.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.