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robber fly

noun

  1. any of numerous swift-flying, often large, dipterous insects of the family Asilidae that are predaceous on other insects.


robber fly

noun

  1. any of the predatory dipterous flies constituting the family Asilidae , which have a strong bristly body with piercing mouthparts and which prey on other insects Also calledbee killerassassin fly
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of robber fly1

First recorded in 1870–75
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Example Sentences

Many insects perform a service to the environment — including ladybugs, honeybees and other pollinators — and predator bugs, such as robber flies, eat other bugs.

The action heroes of the animal world, they tend to be flashy and attention-getting, whether they’re large like cheetahs or tiny like robber flies.

For example, we have a robber fly caught in 1680 by the queen’s gardener at Hampton Court Palace, near London.

From Nature

Those authors also saw turtles eating caterpillars and robber flies.

Now, instead of hatching a butterfly, out comes this robber fly, a long, lean, sleek-looking fellow that has been living for weeks on the body of that poor caterpillar, and we didn't know it.

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robber crabrobber frog