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Bees and wasps flitted together on yellow flowers, and as the day wore on, gnats clumped in beams of sunshine to make a kind of haze.—Blair Braverman, Outside, 6 Oct. 2025 The inspector saw several gnats throughout the kitchen and bar.—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025 The plug-in device traps fruit flies, gnats, house flies and more.—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025 Flies and gnats could visit in our open school rooms.—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for gnat
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of gnat was
before the 12th century
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