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
Milwaukee area residents report relentless mosquitoes after floods Wisconsin typically sees about 18 illnesses from West Nile virus annually.
—
Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Fish slip farther out to sea; disease-carrying mosquitoes ride the heat into new territories.
—Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 29 Sep. 2025
Symptoms often appear three to seven days after a bite from an infected mosquito.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
These mosquitoes bite people and animals, mainly in the morning and late afternoon, and can become a nuisance in large numbers, according to the Town of Leland, NC.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mosquito
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Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Fish slip farther out to sea; disease-carrying mosquitoes ride the heat into new territories.
—Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 29 Sep. 2025
Symptoms often appear three to seven days after a bite from an infected mosquito.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
These mosquitoes bite people and animals, mainly in the morning and late afternoon, and can become a nuisance in large numbers, according to the Town of Leland, NC.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mosquito
Cite this Entry
“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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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