Illustration of fruit bat
- fruit bat with fruit
fruit bat
noun
: any of a family (Pteropodidae of the suborder Megachiroptera) of often large tropical and subtropical Old World bats that feed on ripe fruit, pollen, and nectar and that usually use visual navigation rather than echolocation
called also flying fox
Examples of fruit bat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Marburg virus is spread by certain fruit bats to humans and other primates.
—
Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
But questions remain: Are other organs, such as the liver or small intestine, also involved in regulating sugar for Jamaican fruit bats?
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and can spread between individuals through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated surfaces, such as bed linens.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Orangutans, gibbons and monkeys were said to cruise through the trees on the property, and the roof to our small room was also home to short-nosed fruit bats.
—Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fruit bat 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
But questions remain: Are other organs, such as the liver or small intestine, also involved in regulating sugar for Jamaican fruit bats?
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and can spread between individuals through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated surfaces, such as bed linens.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Orangutans, gibbons and monkeys were said to cruise through the trees on the property, and the roof to our small room was also home to short-nosed fruit bats.
—Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fruit bat
Dictionary Entries Near fruit bat
Cite this Entry
“Fruit bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit%20bat. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share