gnat
Americannoun
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any of certain small flies, especially the biting gnats or punkies of the family Ceratopogonidae, the midges of the family Chironomidae, and the black flies of the family Simuliidae.
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British. mosquito.
idioms
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gnat
before 900; Middle English; Old English gnæt ( t ); cognate with German (dial.) Gnatze
Explanation
Those tiny black insects swarming around your head just as the sun goes down are probably gnats, very small flies that are extremely annoying but usually don't bite. If those little flying creatures bite you, they're most likely mosquitoes. If they just irritate you, landing on your face and creating a cloud around your head? They're gnats. Although the word comes from a Germanic root related to gnaw and meaning "biting insect," the truth is most gnats just want to fly around, eat plants, and mate. Occasionally they're attracted to the fluids in your eyes, which means you'll have to swat them away.
Vocabulary lists containing gnat
Louder than Hunger
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The novel opens by describing a local gnat infestation that seems to have spread to the writing, because all the words containing “nat” have been given a silent “g,” as in “extermignate” and “gnaturally.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026
“That was one of the most impressive plays I’ve ever seen a player make,” Saban said, comparing it to a cow flicking off a gnat.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 14, 2023
These are stories I want to invest in, and it's irritating to have the alleged Garlin ickiness buzzing around my cranium like a gnat while I try to do that.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2023
A few minutes after the Mercury won the tip, Griner ran down the floor and erased a shot from a Sparks player off the glass like a giant shooing a gnat.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2023
Gracus glanced sidelong at this enormous gnat that continued to buzz in his ear.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
