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fruit fly
noun
: any of various small dipteran flies (such as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter
Examples of fruit fly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The restaurant was cited after inspectors found fruit flies flying around the prep area, county documents show.
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Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
Bar flies Depositphotos In a report from August, scientists got fruit flies drunk.
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New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2025
The oriental fruit fly can spread rapidly and when successfully spread, the fruit fly causes fruit to decay early and fall to the ground.
—
Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024
Remarkably, the model also predicted the response of neurons in actual fruit flies that had seen the same videos in earlier studies.
—
Jon Hamilton, NPR, 17 Sep. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
circa 1753, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near fruit fly
Cite this Entry
“Fruit fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit%20fly. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
fruit fly
noun
: any of various small two-winged flies whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter
Medical Definition
fruit fly
noun
: any of various small dipteran flies (as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter
More from Merriam-Webster on fruit fly
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fruit fly
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