Illustration of mosquito
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō 
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of a family (Culicidae) of dipteran flies with females that have a set of slender organs in the proboscis adapted to puncture the skin of animals and to suck their blood and that are in some cases vectors of serious diseases
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
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Free Tire Disposal Event: Volusia County Mosquito Control is offering a free tire amnesty event to help reduce mosquito breeding grounds in the community.
—
Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
The Dengue Problem is Worsening The dengue viruses primarily circulate in the tropics and subtropics and are transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes.
—Stephen J. Thomas, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
The campaigns are seasonal because in many malarial regions, malaria-carrying mosquitos only thrive and transmit the disease in certain seasons, often during a summer rainy season where there’s more water for mosquitos to breed in.
—Dylan Matthews, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024
Yellow fever is a virus spread through specific types of mosquitoes found in Africa and South America.
—Sarah Bradley, Health, 21 Nov. 2024
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Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
The Dengue Problem is Worsening The dengue viruses primarily circulate in the tropics and subtropics and are transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes.
—Stephen J. Thomas, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
The campaigns are seasonal because in many malarial regions, malaria-carrying mosquitos only thrive and transmit the disease in certain seasons, often during a summer rainy season where there’s more water for mosquitos to breed in.
—Dylan Matthews, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024
Yellow fever is a virus spread through specific types of mosquitoes found in Africa and South America.
—Sarah Bradley, Health, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mosquito
Dictionary Entries Near mosquito
Cite this Entry
“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-ō
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous two-winged flies of which the females have a needlelike structure of the mouth region adapted to puncture the skin and suck the blood of animals
Etymology
from Spanish mosquito "mosquito," literally "little fly," from mosca "fly"
Medical Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous dipteran flies of the family Culicidae that have a rather narrow abdomen, usually a long slender rigid proboscis, and narrow wings with a fringe of scales on the margin and usually on each side of the wing veins, that have in the male broad feathery antennae and mouthparts not fitted for piercing and in the female slender antennae and a set of needlelike organs in the proboscis with which they puncture the skin of animals to suck the blood, that lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant water, that include many species which pass through several generations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults or winter in the egg state, and that include some species which are the only vectors of certain diseases see aedes, anopheles, culex
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