mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
| \ mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō
\
\
plural mosquitoes
also mosquitos
Definition of mosquito
: any of a family (Culicidae) of dipteran flies with females that have a set of slender organs in the proboscis adapted to puncture the skin of animals and to suck their blood and that are in some cases vectors of serious diseases
Illustration of mosquito
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Other Words from mosquito
mosquitoey
\ mə-ˈskē-tə-wē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
San Diego County has a lower prevalence of these mosquitoes. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Hidden Zika outbreak detected with new surveillance method developed by Scripps Research scientists," 22 Aug. 2019 Only 18 species of mosquitoes have been identified as carriers of West Nile virus and just five are considered prime carriers. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus spreading across Connecticut," 21 Aug. 2019 The state also has recorded 53 samples of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus, including in Brookline, Framingham, Newton, Stow, and Upton. — John Laidler, BostonGlobe.com, "Mosquitoes carrying EEE virus found west of Boston," 21 Aug. 2019 Just make sure to pack bug spray or buy a local ointment to stave off the summer swarms of mosquitoes. — Alexey Vasilyev, National Geographic, "How to celebrate summer in the world’s coldest city," 27 June 2019 Eight cities in Broward County are scheduled to be sprayed in coming weeks to control the population of disease-carrying mosquitoes, officials said. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Mosquito spraying to begin in eight Broward cities," 8 June 2019 For spotless skin, Coqui Coqui’s all-natural mosquito repellent and Rodan + Fields' mask forge an infallible skin-soothing alliance. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "What to Stock at Your Beach House, From SPF to a Luxurious Bug Repellant," 25 May 2019 Called the Patio Shield, this device creates a 15-foot zone of protection that wards of mosquitoes. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "Fend Off Bugs This Summer With Amazon's Thermacell Sale," 17 Apr. 2019 Even the amount of carbon dioxide, or CO2, a person exhales can attract more mosquitoes. — Elizabeth King, Allure, "Why Mosquitos Bite Some People More Than Others," 8 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mosquito.' 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 mosquito
mosquito
noun
English Language Learners Definition of mosquito
: a small flying insect that bites the skin of people and animals and sucks their blood
See the full definition for mosquito in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
| \ mə-ˈskē-tō
\
\
plural mosquitoes
Kids Definition of mosquito
: a small fly the female of which punctures the skin of people and animals to suck their blood
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
| \ mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
\
\
plural mosquitoes
also mosquitos
Medical Definition of mosquito
: any of numerous dipteran flies of the family Culicidae that have a rather narrow abdomen, usually a long slender rigid proboscis, and narrow wings with a fringe of scales on the margin and usually on each side of the wing veins, that have in the male broad feathery antennae and mouthparts not fitted for piercing and in the female slender antennae and a set of needlelike organs in the proboscis with which they puncture the skin of animals to suck the blood, that lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant water, that include many species which pass through several generations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults or winter in the egg state, and that include some species which are the only vectors of certain diseases — see aedes, anopheles, culex
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