flatworm
noun
flat·worm
| \ ˈflat-ˌwərm
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Definition of flatworm
: any of a phylum (Platyhelminthes) of soft-bodied usually much flattened acoelomate worms (such as the planarians, flukes, and tapeworms)
— called also platyhelminth
Examples of flatworm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The process starts all over again, as the birds' intestinal tract provides a space for the flatworm to reproduce and enter another unsuspecting host. — Fox News, "Creepy 'zombie snail' flashes green and orange, freaks out hiker," 16 Aug. 2019 The human eye, Darwin argued, could have evolved from a simple light-catching patch of tissue of the kind that animals such as flatworms grow today. — Quanta Magazine, "The Surprising Origins of Life’s Complexity," 16 July 2013 Tobias Boothe, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, uses it to visually distinguish the thousands of species of flatworms, a difficult task even for experts. — Matthew Hutson, Science | AAAS, "No coding required: Companies make it easier than ever for scientists to use artificial intelligence," 31 July 2019 An investigation online pointed her to the New Guinea flatworm, which was later confirmed by the Texas Invasive Species Institute (TISI). — Fox News, "Texas woman discovers horde of black worms known to carry dangerous parasite in backyard," 4 July 2019 The flatworm was discovered in the continental United States in 2015, in Florida, and has since been confirmed in Texas and Puerto Rico, according to TISI. — Fox News, "Texas woman discovers horde of black worms known to carry dangerous parasite in backyard," 4 July 2019 For almost twenty years, a specter has been haunting France: flatworms. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Discover Giant Worms Invaded France Almost 20 Years Ago," 23 May 2018 But True or Poo? covers a larger range of subjects, from the fact that flatworms fight each other with their genitalia (true) to the myth that camels store water in their humps (poo). — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Flatworms fence with their penises and other gross science facts," 21 Oct. 2018 Hammerhead flatworms—so named for their weird, broad heads—are predatory critters that feast on earthworms and, sometimes, on one another. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Hammerhead Flatworms Have Been Quietly Invading France for Two Decades," 26 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flatworm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for flatworm
flatworm
noun
flat·worm
| \ ˈflat-ˌwərm
\
\
Medical Definition of flatworm
: any worm of the phylum Platyhelminthes : platyhelminth
especially
: turbellarian