housefly

or house fly

[ hous-flahy ]

noun

, plural house·flies.

1. a medium-sized, gray-striped fly, Musca domestica, common around human habitations in nearly all parts of the world.

housefly

/ ˈhaʊsˌflaɪ /

noun

1. a common dipterous fly, Musca domestica, that frequents human habitations, spreads disease, and lays its eggs in carrion, decaying vegetables, etc: family Muscidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of housefly¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; house, fly ¹

Example Sentences

Innumerable bugs, each one less than half the size of a housefly, but primed to chaw their way through a $16-billion California industry exactly like you did to that bag of chips.

From Los Angeles Times

The Oriental fruit fly, which is slightly larger than a housefly at around 8 millimeters long, is generally bright yellow.

From Los Angeles Times

Federal, state and local agricultural officials plan to eradicate the fly, which is about the size of a housefly with black and yellow markings.

From Los Angeles Times

This one guy was just like a housefly.

From Salon

People can be forgiving, our attention spans rival the life cycle of a housefly — one of the plot’s premises — move on.

From Washington Post