1
: a soft-bodied legless grub that is the larva of a dipterous insect (such as the housefly)
2
: a fantastic or eccentric idea : whim
Synonyms
Examples of maggot in a Sentence
The rotten meat was infested with maggots.
the last maggot he got in his head resulted in a disastrous extramarital affair
Recent Examples on the Web
Whenever a rat’s body was scavenged, the number of blowfly maggots inhabiting that carcass plummeted, suggesting that scavenging can interrupt the life cycle of these pesky insects.
—
Bygennaro Tomma, science.org, 11 July 2024
When the boy’s dressings are changed, maggots fall to the floor.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024
Yet these quiet scenes are punctuated with tactile depictions of dirt, not to mention the visceral suffering of a man held in the pillory where maggots feed on his open leg wound.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2024
While Netanyahu spoke on Capitol Hill, protesters clashed with police outside the U.S. Capitol and released maggots inside of a conference room at the Watergate hotel where the Israeli leader has been staying.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for maggot 
Bygennaro Tomma, science.org, 11 July 2024
When the boy’s dressings are changed, maggots fall to the floor.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024
Yet these quiet scenes are punctuated with tactile depictions of dirt, not to mention the visceral suffering of a man held in the pillory where maggots feed on his open leg wound.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2024
While Netanyahu spoke on Capitol Hill, protesters clashed with police outside the U.S. Capitol and released maggots inside of a conference room at the Watergate hotel where the Israeli leader has been staying.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for maggot
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maggot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Maggot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maggot. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maggot
noun
mag·got
ˈmag-ət 
: a soft-bodied legless larva of a two-winged fly (as the housefly)
Medical Definition
maggot
noun
mag·got
ˈmag-ət
: a soft-bodied legless grub that is the larva of a dipteran fly (as the housefly) and develops usually in decaying organic matter or as a parasite in plants or animals
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