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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Previous reports of unwelcome agricultural pests intercepted amid imports at DTW include African bushmeat brought by travelers from Togo and Gabon, caper fruit fly larvae amid fresh flowers from Italy, and pavement ants amid the root balls of two trees from Lebanon. Paula Wethington, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025 Although the study began with humans, the reversal experiments were also carried out in mice and fruit flies. Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 22 Nov. 2025 This acid is created by gut bacteria as a protective mechanism and previous research from the team has shown it to extend the life of roundworms and fruit flies. New Atlas, 14 Nov. 2025 But the olive fruit fly came in and there was no effective trap for it. John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025 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 17 Dec. 2025.

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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