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

• whim
• bee

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

Also look for screwworm larvae (maggots) and eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose, ears, and genitalia, or the navel of newborn animals. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025

Forensic entomologists from Glasgow analyzed the development of the maggots to estimate how long the body parts had been exposed at the site. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025

Edible insects in the form of wriggling maggots or hairy caterpillars are both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a central African nation of nearly 120 million people. —Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025

Neanderthals who lived in present-day Israel may have passed down local butchery techniques, and experiments indicated that late Pleistocene Neanderthals’ stable nitrogen-isotope ratios indicate not hypercarnivory but a diet rich in maggots. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 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