as in leeches
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
a parasite who lived in the family's basement and refused to get a job or pay rent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of parasites
Advertisement Recalls happen when food is found to be contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites, due to the presence of foreign objects such as glass or metal, or if packaging fails to note a major allergen.
—
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
This reusable steel filter straw removes bacteria, parasites, and microplastics from water.
—Joni Sweet, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Outdoors, pests are kept in check by natural parasites and predators.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
Stops the multiplication of parasites in the body These parasites sneak into the liver and then invade red blood cells, causing havoc in the human body.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2024
The Centers for Disease Control says that unpasteurized milk can carry bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 22 Nov. 2024
Sensitivity and sociality The same fine motor skills that aid in picking tasty bug snacks off of leaves also apply to picking bugs and other parasites off of others.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 21 Nov. 2024
Allergies for Zoo Animals Several theories why animals don’t typically have allergies in the wild reference that animals are exposed to more environmental microbes and parasites and may develop stronger immune systems than animals that have been domesticated.
—Jen McCaffery, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
The test, developed at the University of California, San Francisco, extracts the DNA and RNA from a sample of blood, tissue or body fluid, and then sequences the genetic material and compares the sequences to a vast database of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites to see what matches up.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
This reusable steel filter straw removes bacteria, parasites, and microplastics from water.
—Joni Sweet, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Outdoors, pests are kept in check by natural parasites and predators.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
Stops the multiplication of parasites in the body These parasites sneak into the liver and then invade red blood cells, causing havoc in the human body.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2024
The Centers for Disease Control says that unpasteurized milk can carry bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 22 Nov. 2024
Sensitivity and sociality The same fine motor skills that aid in picking tasty bug snacks off of leaves also apply to picking bugs and other parasites off of others.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 21 Nov. 2024
Allergies for Zoo Animals Several theories why animals don’t typically have allergies in the wild reference that animals are exposed to more environmental microbes and parasites and may develop stronger immune systems than animals that have been domesticated.
—Jen McCaffery, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
The test, developed at the University of California, San Francisco, extracts the DNA and RNA from a sample of blood, tissue or body fluid, and then sequences the genetic material and compares the sequences to a vast database of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites to see what matches up.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near parasites
Cite this Entry
“Parasites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parasites. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share