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

Then, consider adjusting your exterior lighting by installing motion sensors and swapping standard bulbs for warm-colored LEDs—because spiders are often drawn indoors following food sources, such as moths and fruit flies, which congregate around bright lights. —Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025

Sprinkle it on the soil to repel ants, fruit flies, aphids, mites, and other crawling insects from feeding on your plants. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025

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 a tropical beetle species found amid partially dry bark from the Ivory Coast. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fruit fly

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

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