Illustration of mosquito
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō 
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: 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
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And Culex mosquitoes like spending time around humans and bacteria-rich environments, Vazquez-Prokopec says.
—
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2024
Officials also project that a warming planet has fostered more environments for West Nile to fester as mosquitos become infected and pass the disease onto people.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2024
Schools and daycare centers should be equipped with screens on windows and doors to prevent mosquito entry.
—Dan Sweeney, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024
According to Richard Benton, a professor at the University of Lausanne with expertise in neurobiology, understanding how fruit flies track down smells can help scientists better understand harmful pests, such as mosquitoes.
—Lizette Ortega, Washington Post, 28 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mosquito 
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2024
Officials also project that a warming planet has fostered more environments for West Nile to fester as mosquitos become infected and pass the disease onto people.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2024
Schools and daycare centers should be equipped with screens on windows and doors to prevent mosquito entry.
—Dan Sweeney, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024
According to Richard Benton, a professor at the University of Lausanne with expertise in neurobiology, understanding how fruit flies track down smells can help scientists better understand harmful pests, such as mosquitoes.
—Lizette Ortega, Washington Post, 28 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mosquito
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mosquito.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-ō
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous two-winged flies of which the females have a needlelike structure of the mouth region adapted to puncture the skin and suck the blood of animals
Etymology
from Spanish mosquito "mosquito," literally "little fly," from mosca "fly"
Medical Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: 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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