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

mosquitoey

mə-ˈskē-tə-wē 

adjective

Illustration of mosquito

Examples of mosquito in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The amount of rain the Twin Cities received on Sunday was enough to hatch another brood of mosquitoes, officials said. —Nick Lentz, CBS News, 18 May 2026

However, borax will not work on pests that aren't interested in eating it, such as termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, flying insects above ground level, or any number of other outdoor pests, such as slugs and snails. —Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026

Warmer temperatures expand the range of mosquitoes that carry dengue. —John Drake, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

Basil discourages mosquitoes and houseflies, while mint helps push back ants and mosquitoes. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, diminutive of mosca fly, from Latin musca — more at midge

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mosquito

• anti-mosquito
• Asian tiger mosquito
• mosquito fish
• mosquito hawk
• mosquito net
• tiger mosquito
• yellow-fever mosquito

Rhymes for mosquito

• bonito
• burrito
• capito
• negrito
• incognito
• peto
• veto

Kids 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

mosquitoey

-ˈskēt-ə-wē 

adjective

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