mosquito
1 Americannoun
plural
mosquitoes, mosquitos-
any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, the females of which suck the blood of animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases, as malaria and yellow fever.
-
Military. Mosquito, a twin-engined, two-seat British fighter and bomber of World War II, made largely of plywood and having a top speed of 380 miles per hour (610 km/h).
noun
plural
Mosquitos,plural
Mosquitonoun
Other Word Forms
- mosquitoey adjective
Etymology
Origin of mosquito
First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The freedom of testing your limits draws you back, even when the mosquitoes bite, even when the clouds roll in, even when you feel like the world is ending.
From Literature
"It turns out that a specific irritant receptor is 30 times less sensitive in snow flies than in mosquitoes and fruit flies," Gallio said.
From Science Daily
In Cuba, where many fear the prospect of no electricity come summer, with its muggy heat and swarms of disease-carrying mosquitoes, people are getting creative.
From Los Angeles Times
This research offers the first detailed visualization of mosquito flight behavior and provides measurable data that could improve trapping and control methods.
From Science Daily
Residents were supposed to get a respite from the ankle-nipping mosquitoes that fueled a recent surge in dengue fever in Los Angeles County.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
