Illustration of mosquito
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō 
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: 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
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
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For many people, visiting the Everglades means staring out the car window at seemingly endless sawgrass marsh in between stops to ride an airboat packed with tourists, stroll a boardwalk or swat mosquitoes.
—
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 11 Jan. 2025
Researchers suspect possums are the primary source, with transmission probably involving mosquitoes.
—John Drake, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024
The researchers found that the mosquitoes that carry dengue — called Aedes aegypti — transmit the virus most efficiently when temperatures are between 68 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Randi Richardson, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2024
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Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 11 Jan. 2025
Researchers suspect possums are the primary source, with transmission probably involving mosquitoes.
—John Drake, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024
The researchers found that the mosquitoes that carry dengue — called Aedes aegypti — transmit the virus most efficiently when temperatures are between 68 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Randi Richardson, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mosquito
Dictionary Entries Near mosquito
Cite this Entry
“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-ō
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous two-winged flies of which the females have a needlelike structure of the mouth region adapted to puncture the skin and suck the blood of animals
Etymology
from Spanish mosquito "mosquito," literally "little fly," from mosca "fly"
Medical Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: 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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