mosquito
noun
\
Definition of mosquito
: any of a family (Culicidae) of dipteran flies with females that have a set of slender organs in the proboscis adapted to puncture the skin of animals and to suck their blood and that are in some cases vectors of serious diseases
Illustration of mosquito
Keep scrolling for more
Other words from mosquito
\
adjective
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The findings, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, are another indicator of the disease potential caused by mosquitoes. — Todd Ackerman, Houston Chronicle, "Texas officials downplay health threat from little-known mosquito-borne virus that caused symptoms in teen," 23 June 2018 Dirofilaria repens is a long parasitic roundworm that is spread by mosquitoes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Lindsey Bever, chicagotribune.com, "Blemishes moving around Russian woman's face turned out to be a parasitic worm," 22 June 2018 According to the case report, the parasites spread by mosquitoes typically to dogs and other carnivores. — Alexandria Hein, Fox News, "'Migrating' bumps on woman's face discovered to be parasite," 21 June 2018 But many fear the disease, spread by mosquitoes and known to kill more than 100 species of birds, was at least partly responsible for lower grouse numbers seen and killed last fall by hunters in the Upper Midwest. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "An unexpectedly quiet spring for the usually predictable rough grouse is cause for concern," 16 June 2018 To name a kind of attraction after a disease carried by mosquitoes that killed one out of four people severely infected said something about the attraction. — Weike Wang, The New Yorker, "Omakase," 6 June 2018 Sunday Riley’s Good Genes, for instance, contains lactic acid, a chemical typically favored by mosquitoes. — Katie Heaney, The Cut, "Good News If You Hate Mosquitoes and Love Beauty Serums," 18 May 2018 In 2017, the district tested 1,565 batches of mosquitoes, which resulted in 553 positive batches. — Kathy Routliffe, chicagotribune.com, "Heat, rain, mean earlier mosquito spray operations in Wilmette, Winnetka," 9 July 2018 Additional moisture from the July 4 storm will create more breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Noack said. — Patricia Dillon, Houston Chronicle, "Montgomery County officials find 38 cases of mosquitoes with West Nile Virus; urge taking precautions," 6 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mosquito.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for mosquito
mosquito
noun
English Language Learners Definition of mosquito
: a small flying insect that bites the skin of people and animals and sucks their blood
See the full definition for mosquito in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mosquito
noun
\
Kids Definition of mosquito
: a small fly the female of which punctures the skin of people and animals to suck their blood
mosquito
noun
\
Medical Definition of mosquito
: any of numerous dipteran flies of the family Culicidae that have a rather narrow abdomen, usually a long slender rigid proboscis, and narrow wings with a fringe of scales on the margin and usually on each side of the wing veins, that have in the male broad feathery antennae and mouthparts not fitted for piercing and in the female slender antennae and a set of needlelike organs in the proboscis with which they puncture the skin of animals to suck the blood, that lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant water, that include many species which pass through several generations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults or winter in the egg state, and that include some species which are the only vectors of certain diseases — see aedes, anopheles, culex
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on mosquito
What made you want to look up mosquito? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Food Quiz
-
- Name these cookies!
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share mosquito
Resources for mosquito