maggot

noun

mag·​got ˈma-gət 

1

: a soft-bodied legless grub that is the larva of a dipterous insect (such as the housefly)

2

: a fantastic or eccentric idea : whim

maggoty

ˈma-gə-tē 

adjective

Synonyms

• bee
• caprice
• crank
• fancy
• freak
• humor
• kink
• megrim
• notion
• vagary
• vagrancy
• whim
• whimsy
• whimsey

Examples of maggot in a Sentence

The rotten meat was infested with maggots.

the last maggot he got in his head resulted in a disastrous extramarital affair

Recent Examples on the Web

The New World screwworm is the larval form, or maggot, of the New World blowfly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, which resembles a housefly in size and charmlessness. —Alan Burdick, New York Times, 16 May 2025

The result is a gaping ulcer writhing with maggots, which attracts yet more adult female screwworms that can lay hundreds more eggs, deepening the putrid, festering lesion. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025

Ants will swarm plants that are infested with spider mites, cabbage loopers, root maggots, beetle grubs, scale, mealybugs, ticks, or other pests that ants feed on. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 May 2025

These fly larvae, the screwworms or maggots, burrow into the flesh of the animal, which can cause serious damage, leading to infections and death in some instances. —Connor Greene, CNN Money, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English magot, probably alteration of mathek, maddok; akin to Middle Low German mēdeke maggot, Old Norse mathkr, Old English matha

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing maggot

• apple maggot

Rhymes for maggot

• agate
• fagot

Kids Definition

maggot

noun

mag·​got ˈmag-ət 

: a soft-bodied legless larva of a two-winged fly (as the housefly)

Medical Definition

maggot

noun

mag·​got ˈmag-ət 

: a soft-bodied legless grub that is the larva of a dipteran fly (as the housefly) and develops usually in decaying organic matter or as a parasite in plants or animals