: any of an order (Siphonaptera) of small wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals
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Mills said found cats can also have ringworm, fleas and a host of contagions other than bird flu.—Jia H. Jung, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025 Others, like fleas, use energy stored in internal structures that are rapidly released to trigger a leap.—Ajay Narendra, JSTOR Daily, 6 Mar. 2025 Removing the debris now removes the hiding spots and egg populations for pests like aphids, flea beetles, cabbage worms, squash bugs, spider mites, thrips and many others.—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2025 Like us, ancient people wanted fleas out of their homes, lice off their bodies, and weevils out of their grain supplies.—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flea
Word History
Etymology
Middle English fle, from Old English flēa; akin to Old High German flōh flea
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of flea was
before the 12th century
: any of the order Siphonaptera comprising wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals see cat flea, chigoesense 1, dog flea, rat flea, sand flea, sticktight flea
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