flea
noun
\ ˈflē
\
\
Definition of flea
: any of an order (Siphonaptera) of small wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals
flea in one's ear
: rebuke
sent him away with a flea in his ear
Illustration of flea
Examples of flea in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The concern was that fleas could transmit the bacterial infection to humans, causing the bubonic plague. — La Cañada Valley Sun, "La Cañada History: Once upon a time you could fish at Devil’s Gate Dam," 12 Aug. 2019 And dogs seem just as likely to destroy furniture, harbor fleas or have an accident in the house. — Special To The Washington Post, The Denver Post, "What happened when we took our cats on a beach vacation," 8 Aug. 2019 Catch some fleas: The Solon Historical Society hosts its annual flea market 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 on the society’s grounds and parking lot. — Joan Rusek, cleveland.com, "Need an attitude adjustment – catch ‘A New Brain’ at River Street Playhouse: Valley Views," 5 Aug. 2019 The Tri-County Health Department said Thursday that prairie dog burrows in Commerce City are being sprayed with insecticide to kill fleas that could transmit the disease to the rodents, people and pets. — courant.com, "Prairie dog plague outbreak cancels fireworks show after Colorado Rapids game," 2 Aug. 2019 An insecticide is being used to kill the fleas that are spreading the disease to the prairie dogs. — Emily Caron, SI.com, "Areas Around Dick's Sporting Goods Park Temporarily Closed Due to Plague," 2 Aug. 2019 The Tri-County Health Department said Thursday that prairie dog burrows in Commerce City are being sprayed with insecticide to kill fleas that could transmit the disease to the rodents, people and pets. — BostonGlobe.com, "Messi suspended three months for remarks," 2 Aug. 2019 Allergy Test My Pet will extract the proteins from the saliva sample and use a proprietary method to test for more than 100 items that may be bothering Fido -- everything from common foods, to fleas, to tobacco, to pollen, to laundry products. — Jacob Krol, CNN Underscored, "See what could be bothering your pooch with this allergy test kit," 25 July 2019 Rats have been in the news a lot lately, with infestations reported at Los Angeles City Hall and an outbreak of typhus, which can be transmitted to humans by fleas that live on rats. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: The legislative fight behind rat infestation concerns in California," 19 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for flea
flea
noun
English Language Learners Definition of flea
: a very small insect that lives on animals and that has strong legs used for jumping
See the full definition for flea in the English Language Learners Dictionary
flea
noun
\ ˈflē
\
\
Kids Definition of flea
: a small bloodsucking insect that has no wings and a hard body
flea
noun
\ ˈflē
\
\
Medical Definition of flea
: any of the order Siphonaptera comprising wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals — see cat flea, chigoe sense 1, dog flea, rat flea, sand flea, sticktight flea
Keep scrolling for more