fruit fly

noun

1. any of numerous small dipterous insects of the family Tephritidae, the larvae of which feed on the fruit of various plants.
2. vinegar fly.
3. drosophila.

fruit fly

noun

1. any small dipterous fly of the family Trypetidae , which feed on and lay their eggs in plant tissues See also gallfly
2. any dipterous fly of the genus Drosophila See drosophila

Word History and Origins

Origin of fruit fly¹

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

Male fruit flies are attracted to the mixture and perish after consuming it.

From Los Angeles Times

They drove around neighborhoods in trucks, dumping millions of sterile male fruit flies from cardboard Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets.

From Los Angeles Times

We have a million times as many brain cells, or neurons, than the fruit fly which was studied.

From BBC

Inspectors found mouldy fruit in the fridge, poor cleaning practices and fruit flies around the kitchen.

From BBC

And just like that — the fruit fly who got the Kevin Bacon gene-implant was suddenly six degrees more popular among all its fly friends.

From Salon

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