lone star tick

noun

: an ixodid tick (Amblyomma americanum) of the southern, central, and eastern U.S. that attacks mammals and birds, is a vector of several diseases (such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis), and in which the adult female has a single white spot on the back

Examples of lone star tick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But scientists believe those bites were actually from larvae of lone star ticks, which can cause alpha-gal syndrome. —NPR, 15 Nov. 2025

Deer are the main hosts of the lone star tick, and as deer populations have grown, tick populations have exploded. —Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

It is most often caused by a lone star tick bite, although bites from other ticks can cause the syndrome. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2025

Most cases in the United States are linked to a particular tick species — the lone star tick — which is found in the Northeast, the South and the Midwest. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lone star tick

• andesitic
• dizygotic
• endocytic
• impolitic
• lymphocytic
• martensitic
• pegmatitic
• phagocytic
• pharisaic
• realpolitik
• rhyolitic
• actinic

Medical Definition

lone star tick

noun

ˈlōn-ˈstär- 

: an ixodid tick of the genus Amblyomma (A. americanum) of the southern, central, and eastern United States that attacks mammals and birds, is a vector of several diseases (as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis), and in which the adult female has a single white spot on the back