mosquito

noun

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

Other Words from mosquito Example Sentences Phrases Containing mosquito Learn More About mosquito

Examples of mosquito in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At this farm in the southeastern state of Victoria, there are hundreds of flies and not a single visible mosquito. — Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2022 At this farm in the southeastern state of Victoria, there are hundreds of flies and not a single visible mosquito. — Frances Vinall, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Apr. 2022 But relatively little was known about what the world looks like through the eyes of a mosquito. — NBC News, 4 Feb. 2022 The adult rose midge is a very small insect which most gardeners will not be able to see and looks somewhat like a mosquito. — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 6 Nov. 2021 This summer has been relatively hot and dry, the perfect combination for the Culex mosquito, the species that is known to carry the virus, Kane County Health Department officials said in a press release Wednesday. — Beacon-news Staff, chicagotribune.com, 1 Sep. 2021 The mosquito is the deadliest animal on Earth, and the tiny Aedes aegypti may be the worst species of all, spreading diseases like West Nile, malaria and dengue fever. — CBS News, 22 Oct. 2021 The mosquitoes are black with distinctive white stripes, and if they are spotted, people are urged to call their local mosquito and vector control department. — Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2021 The clip also introduces several never-before-seen dinos and teases an encounter between a certain prehistoric mosquito and a familiar T-rex. — Devan Coggan, EW.com, 10 June 2021 See More

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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Dictionary Entries Near mosquito

mosque swallow

mosquito

mosquito bar

Statistics for mosquito

Last Updated

14 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 24 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for mosquito

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