as in leeches
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
a parasite who lived in the family's basement and refused to get a job or pay rent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of parasites
The benzoquinones in those secretions are pungent to parasites and mosquitoes, and lemurs sometimes also ingest small amounts, suggesting a mix of topical repellent and internal deworming.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Unknown water can be contaminated with parasites, bacteria or other pathogens, which can make dogs sick.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
When bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, that leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which increases the risk of severe illness, disability or death, according to WHO.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
When mixing the live ants with milk, the researchers strained the milk through a filter that allowed bacteria and yeast to move through, but which removed any parasites.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Before that time, it was considered unsafe due to the number of parasites found in local Pacific salmon.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
In fact, ecosystems with diverse wildlife often support a wide variety of parasites, because these organisms rely on specific hosts to survive!
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In the chronic phase, the parasites hide in the heart and digestive muscles for one to three decades after infection.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Unknown water can be contaminated with parasites, bacteria or other pathogens, which can make dogs sick.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
When bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, that leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which increases the risk of severe illness, disability or death, according to WHO.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
When mixing the live ants with milk, the researchers strained the milk through a filter that allowed bacteria and yeast to move through, but which removed any parasites.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Before that time, it was considered unsafe due to the number of parasites found in local Pacific salmon.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
In fact, ecosystems with diverse wildlife often support a wide variety of parasites, because these organisms rely on specific hosts to survive!
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In the chronic phase, the parasites hide in the heart and digestive muscles for one to three decades after infection.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parasites
Noun
-
Once the workplace of Revolutionary War figure General Hugh Mercer, the recreated 18th-century pharmacy and doctor’s office is filled with tinctures, leeches, and surgical tools, all explained by costumed interpreters.—
Madeline Weinfield,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The small-mouth bass go for the leeches, too.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Plants act like sponges, Martineau explained.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Back then, MOFs felt like magical sponges, and that sense of wonder never left me.—
Stavroula Alina Kampouri,
The Conversation,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His henchmen quickly followed suit.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Over eight episodes, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of Mancuso — a former family friend — and his vicious henchmen, and they are forced to confront the emotional scars of growing up with an alcoholic father, who had gambled away his own restaurant.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The ultimate goal, then, seems to be nothing less than the complete supplanting of MAGA with a new political movement—an angry, ultra-conspiratorial, unbiblical, neo-pagan movement of misfits and their hangers-on.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Which interpretation lands best with Subramanian will be made clear at Friday’s sentencing hearing — for which Combs, as well as various family members and hangers-on, will be in NYC’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But while the New Zealander won a Golden Globe for her portrayal in 2009, Paquin broke out long before Sookie was slinging drinks and slaying bloodsuckers.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
-
This Reagan-era standout brought the over-the-top gore but also plenty of camp in a coming-of-age story with teens becoming bloodsuckers.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
17 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Parasites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parasites. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share