mosquito

mos·qui·to | \ mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō

plural mosquitoes also mosquitos

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

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Examples of mosquito in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 2012, researchers reported the discovery of the Eilat virus from Anopheles mosquitoes in the Negev Desert in Israel, for instance. — Martin Enserink, Science | AAAS, "Yada yada… Scientists name new virus after Seinfeld catchphrase," 11 Jan. 2020 Certain species of mosquito, for instance, spread West Nile, Zika and malaria. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Why the World Needs Bloodsucking Creatures," 2 Dec. 2019 More than 20 states have found EEE this year in at least one species — in pools of mosquitoes, birds, people, horses, deer, alpaca, and even a wolf cub in a Michigan zoo. — Helen Branswell, STAT, "Why the huge surge in EEE cases? Federal rules requiring quick sample disposal mean we may never know," 27 Nov. 2019 The good news is mosquito season is almost over, peaking each year from August to the first freeze. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Mosquito-borne virus kills 1 in Alabama: What to know about EEE," 28 Oct. 2019 An unseasonably warm late summer and early fall may also extend mosquito season in some parts of the country. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Mosquito-Borne Illness EEE Has Killed 11 People So Far in 2019. Here's What to Know About the Disease," 3 Oct. 2019 No human infections have been reported, but officials say the risk will remain through the active mosquito season. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al.com, "Case of West Nile virus reported in Boaz," 12 July 2019 The great outdoors: Speaking of hanging out in parks, officials say mosquito season will peak in Illinois this weekend. — Lisa Donovan, chicagotribune.com, "The Spin: How your tax dollars will fix state roads, plus will Mayor Lori Lightfoot push ride-share fee amid congestion?," 7 June 2019 And the public needs to remain vigilant, including packing that bug spray as tick and mosquito-season is upon us. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Why you shouldn’t freak out about tick and mosquito infections tripling," 2 May 2018

These 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.

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Last Updated

22 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Mosquito.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 25 January 2020.

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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

mos·qui·to | \ mə-ˈskē-tō

plural mosquitoes

Kids Definition of mosquito

: a small fly the female of which punctures the skin of people and animals to suck their blood

mosquito

noun

mos·qui·to | \ mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)

plural mosquitoes also mosquitos

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

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