flea

noun

ˈflē 

: 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

Illustration of flea

Phrases

flea in one's ear

: rebuke

sent him away with a flea in his ear

Examples of flea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

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

Phrases Containing flea

• beach flea
• fit as a flea
• flea beetle
• flea-bitten
• flea collar
• flea-flicker
• flea market
• jigger flea
• sand flea
• water flea

Rhymes for flea

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he
• ki

Kids Definition

flea

noun

ˈflē 

: any of an order of small wingless bloodsucking insects with a hard body and legs used for leaping

Medical Definition

flea

noun

ˈflē 

: 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, chigoe sense 1, dog flea, rat flea, sand flea, sticktight flea