as in leech
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
a parasite who lived in the family's basement and refused to get a job or pay rent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parasite
Banner tells Whitfield that he’s lost his sheep herd to parasites, and Whitfield has the nerve to laugh.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
According to the Cleveland Clinic, wearing contacts for too long, improperly storing or cleaning them, and wearing them while swimming or showering can increase your risk of contracting the parasite.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Animals of all shapes, sizes, and evolutionary lineages engage in behaviors that ward off parasites, viruses, and harmful bacteria.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
In addition, old nests can also harbor parasites and pathogens that might be harmful to the birds.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parasite
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
According to the Cleveland Clinic, wearing contacts for too long, improperly storing or cleaning them, and wearing them while swimming or showering can increase your risk of contracting the parasite.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Animals of all shapes, sizes, and evolutionary lineages engage in behaviors that ward off parasites, viruses, and harmful bacteria.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
In addition, old nests can also harbor parasites and pathogens that might be harmful to the birds.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parasite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parasite
Noun
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Americans know the federal government is squandering too many of their dollars on low-return programs, allowing too much of their money to be siphoned off by grifters and supporting too many leeches who are bleeding taxpayers dry.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
4 Mar. 2025
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Are you surrounded by individuals who drain your energy (i.e., leeches and loafers)?—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Creating a tower of sponge with knafeh proved challenging, though.—
Claire Turrell,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Apr. 2025
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Sea Salt Slide Tin $6 Jacobsen Salt Co. A clean sponge Anyone else grossed out at the thought of using the mystery sponge that’s been sitting in your Airbnb’s sink for God knows how long?—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The fund—jointly managed by the city and municipal labor unions—currently supports premium-free coverage for roughly 960,000 active and retired workers and their dependents, according to The City and New York Focus.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
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Taxpayers can also access their IRS Individual Online Account to view Forms W-2 and 1095-A. Ensure Accuracy of Filing Details Making simple mistakes can delay your refund: names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers (SSNs) for all dependents must match Social Security records.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Things take a turn when Smokey's drug supplier demands $200 by 10 PM or they'll be killed, but the pair is easily distracted by conflicts with the resident bully, Craig's jealous girlfriend, and various neighborhood moochers and petty criminals.—
Danny Horn,
EW.com,
18 Aug. 2024
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The hikes, which go into effect on September 1, are part of a larger effort to crack down on membership moochers and boost revenue for the warehouse chain.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
11 July 2024
Noun
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In Lynch’s festering neo-noir mystery from 1987, Hopper plays a chronic villain perpetually sipping from a tank of amyl nitrate and handing out hits as a way to manipulate his henchmen.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
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Back in Montana, every trip Jacob and company take to Bozeman and back is inevitably fraught with peril — if not instigated by dastardly rich guy Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and/or his henchman Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), then by the pitiless nature of extreme weather.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In a government that is already owned and operated by far-right cranks and hangers-on, Bongino can only do so much damage on his own.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Hackett, his bungalow neighbor Faye Greener (Karen Black), her vaudevillian has-been father (Burgess Meredith), assorted whores, hangers-on, venal studio executives, and a WASPy lunk — auspiciously named Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland) — suckered by Hollywood’s erotic promise.—
Armond White,
National Review,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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As if dealing with fleas in your yard isn’t enough, these little bloodsuckers can infest your home, too.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
31 Mar. 2025
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Klaus Kinski plays Count Dracula, Isabelle Adjani is Lucy Harker, and Bruno Ganz is Jonathan Harker in this unforgettable mood piece, a movie that’s so unsettling that one wonders if Kinski might actually be a bloodsucker.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
8 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parasite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parasite. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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