gnat

noun

ˈnat 

: any of various small usually biting dipteran flies

gnatty

ˈna-tē 

adjective

Examples of gnat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not that that will stop culture-war gnats from claiming that an army of boys with bad intentions are trying to game the system. — Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026

Grand Tongo’s repellent uses 20 percent picaridin instead of DEET, and the brand says one application keeps mosquitoes and ticks away for up to 12 hours, and gnats and biting flies for up to eight. — Amanda Eyre Ward, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2026

Every opportunity to pounce on each other, snap after gnats, and pull shreds of meat from bones is important. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Spiders prey on gnats, mosquitoes, aphids, flies, termites, and more. — Sarah Everett, The Spruce, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English gnætt; akin to Old English gnagan to gnaw

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gnat

• fungus gnat

Rhymes for gnat

• at
• bat
• batt
• brat
• cat
• chat
• fat
• flat
• gat
• hat
• kat
• mat

Kids Definition

gnat

noun

ˈnat 

: any of various small usually biting two-winged flies

Medical Definition

gnat

noun

ˈnat 

: any of various small usually biting dipteran flies (as a midge or blackfly)