vampire bat

noun

Definition of vampire bat

: any of several bats (Desmodus rotundus, Diaemus youngi, and Diphylla ecaudata of the subfamily Desmodontinae of the family Phyllostomidae) of Mexico and Central and South America that feed on the blood of birds and mammals and especially domestic animals and that are sometimes vectors of disease and especially of rabies also : any of several other bats (as of the families Megadermatidae and Phyllostomidae) that do not feed on blood but are sometimes reputed to do so

Examples of vampire bat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web So the Zombie Devil, for instance, turns people into its mindless zombie minions, while the Bat Devil devours humans for their blood like an oversized vampire bat. — Christian Holub, EW.com, 16 May 2022 Draculin is an anticoagulant from vampire bat venom and is used to treat stroke and heart attack. — New York Times, 3 May 2022 Michael Bodenchuk, the state's director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said his team has been looking for any sign of the vampire bat near the border. — Malak Silmi, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Apr. 2022 The vampire bat brain may have also benefitted from a fortuitous gene loss. — Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2022 Paleontologists have previously presented ideas about how the giant reptile took off, such as running and flapping its wings or lurching forward on its wingtips like a vampire bat. — Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021 There are three species of vampire bat: common, white-winged and hairy-legged. — Washington Post, 3 July 2021 That indicated a vampire bat, pushed north from its usual habitat in Mexico by climate change. — Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2021 Or slow-motion video of a vampire bat catching a mouse? — Anand Varma, National Geographic, 4 Aug. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vampire bat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Vampire bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vampire%20bat. Accessed 16 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for vampire bat

vampire bat

noun

Kids Definition of vampire bat

: a bat of tropical America that feeds on the blood of birds and mammals

vampire bat

noun

Medical Definition of vampire bat

: any of several Central and South American bats (Desmodus rotundus, Diaemus youngi, and Diphylla ecaudata) that feed on the blood of birds and mammals and especially domestic animals and that are sometimes vectors of disease and especially of rabies also : any of several other bats that do not feed on blood but are sometimes reputed to do so