kissing bug
nounDefinition of kissing bug
: any of various large bloodsucking bugs and especially some assassin bugs (genus Triatoma) including some capable of inflicting painful bites
— called also conenose
Examples of kissing bug in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chagas disease is actually spread by triatomine bugs, aka kissing bugs. — Korin Miller, SELF, "What You Need to Know About Chagas Disease—the Illness Spread by Kissing Bugs," 28 Aug. 2018 So far, a total of 11 species of kissing bugs have been spotted in the U.S. — the majority are concentrated in states along the U.S.-Mexico border. — Jennifer Earl, Fox News, "Blood-sucking 'kissing bugs' spreading dangerous parasitic disease in US, health officials warn," 24 Aug. 2018 The Hamers monitored a total of 18 movements in 11 kissing bugs. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Tiny Trackers Could Help Humans Avoid Kissing Bugs’ Deadly Smooch," 9 July 2018 These early successes may pave the way for tracking kissing bugs on a more global scale. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Tiny Trackers Could Help Humans Avoid Kissing Bugs’ Deadly Smooch," 9 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kissing bug.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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