fruit fly

noun

: any of various small dipteran flies (such as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter

Examples of fruit fly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Here is how to get rid of fruit flies. Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026 Recently, Reber’s team used light refraction to infer cells’ densities, finding that the densities of cells from various species — frogs, worms, yeast, bacteria, fruit flies, zebra fish, and humans — ranged widely. Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2026 Sehgal, who has studied sleep in fruit flies, and who was not involved in Fu’s research, was intrigued by the fact that these genes do not seem to be connected by a particular sleep process or brain pathway. Shayla Love, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026 In the meantime, the agency is investing $21 million to transform a fruit fly breeding center in far southern Mexico into a screwworm fly production site, with operations set to begin this summer. Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 12 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fruit fly

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fruit fly was circa 1753

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fruit fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit%20fly. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

fruit fly

noun
: any of various small two-winged flies whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter

Medical Definition

fruit fly

noun
: any of various small dipteran flies (as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter

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