as in whims
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
the last maggot he got in his head resulted in a disastrous extramarital affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of maggots
Those settlers managed to make an underground river with murderous maggots on unstable terrain into a tourist attraction in record time.
—
Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Also look for screwworm larvae (maggots) and eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose, ears, and genitalia, or the navel of newborn animals.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
The early stage of the maggots means there is no possibility of fly emergence, Mexican authorities added.
—Clara Migoya, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Forensic entomologists from Glasgow analyzed the development of the maggots to estimate how long the body parts had been exposed at the site.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Edible insects in the form of wriggling maggots or hairy caterpillars are both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a central African nation of nearly 120 million people.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Neanderthals who lived in present-day Israel may have passed down local butchery techniques, and experiments indicated that late Pleistocene Neanderthals’ stable nitrogen-isotope ratios indicate not hypercarnivory but a diet rich in maggots.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
There were 16 live maggots on the floor of the kitchen.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
In one visceral scene of complex dignity, Mother removes maggots from a living man’s rotting flesh.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Also look for screwworm larvae (maggots) and eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose, ears, and genitalia, or the navel of newborn animals.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
The early stage of the maggots means there is no possibility of fly emergence, Mexican authorities added.
—Clara Migoya, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Forensic entomologists from Glasgow analyzed the development of the maggots to estimate how long the body parts had been exposed at the site.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Edible insects in the form of wriggling maggots or hairy caterpillars are both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a central African nation of nearly 120 million people.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Neanderthals who lived in present-day Israel may have passed down local butchery techniques, and experiments indicated that late Pleistocene Neanderthals’ stable nitrogen-isotope ratios indicate not hypercarnivory but a diet rich in maggots.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
There were 16 live maggots on the floor of the kitchen.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
In one visceral scene of complex dignity, Mother removes maggots from a living man’s rotting flesh.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maggots
Noun
-
Rather than spending millions in a relentless quest to solve the problems wrought by Coors Field, the Rockies appear to have capitulated to its whims.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
One Battle also exemplifies where Hall’s career has taken her, which is to say across genres, moods, and Hollywood whims.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
New experiments seemed to show that bees simply responded to stimuli like odor or smoke, Munz explains.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Oct. 2025
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Neither can throw, and Colelman, who is eager and combative, handles outside curveballs like a man fighting bees.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Despite some promising high-concept notions such as an intergalactic federation, mystic beings, parasitic species, a sentient interstellar craft, and Slipstream FTL quantum mechanics, seemingly inevitable creative differences arose as the show progressed.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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The department’s content warnings include mild romantic situations and notions of matchmaking, gentle social satire, occasional passive-aggressive dialogue and very mild suggestive themes (but nothing explicit).—
Eric E. Harrison,
Arkansas Online,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maggots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maggots. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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