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
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Recent Examples of maggots
Their eggs, laid in open wounds or on mucous membranes, would then not hatch into the flesh-eating maggots that can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans.
—
John Hanna, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Victims can develop large open wounds covered in maggots.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
The veteran’s body was discovered in the Penrose building, covered in maggots.
—Jesse Bedayn, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
That may require surgery if the maggots are deeply embedded.
—Alix Martichoux, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2026
Eventually, the Afflecks gave in when maggots started appearing in the apartment.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Since some Indigenous tribes from the Arctic and subarctic are known to eat maggots from putrefied meat, the researchers considered maggots a potential factor driving those isotope spikes.
—Jay Kakade
december 31, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025
Even better, marigolds repel cabbage maggots and nematodes2 and their flowers entice predatory insects to garden beds to keep pests in line.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
Medflies can ruin more than 250 kinds of produce by infecting them with maggots.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
John Hanna, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Victims can develop large open wounds covered in maggots.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
The veteran’s body was discovered in the Penrose building, covered in maggots.
—Jesse Bedayn, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
That may require surgery if the maggots are deeply embedded.
—Alix Martichoux, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2026
Eventually, the Afflecks gave in when maggots started appearing in the apartment.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Since some Indigenous tribes from the Arctic and subarctic are known to eat maggots from putrefied meat, the researchers considered maggots a potential factor driving those isotope spikes.
—Jay Kakade
december 31, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025
Even better, marigolds repel cabbage maggots and nematodes2 and their flowers entice predatory insects to garden beds to keep pests in line.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
Medflies can ruin more than 250 kinds of produce by infecting them with maggots.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maggots
Noun
-
America’s warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech.—
Tina Nguyen,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Charli might just be in a low-stakes, post-breakthrough interregnum, exploring whims without putting too much pressure on herself.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In fact, most bees are actually too small to sting people.—
Anne Readel,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Grows well in sun and is often visited by butterflies and bees when in flower.—
Adrienne Jordan,
Martha Stewart,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The brand new house aims to shake up the old publishing playbook by exploding notions of genre and form, and celebrating the subcultures driving artistic innovation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Everyone was looking for an edge, and that trumped clinging to old notions.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maggots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maggots. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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