mosquito
noun
any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, the females of which suck the blood of animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases, as malaria and yellow fever.
Showing results for "mosquito"
- a variation of Miskito.
mosquito
1 American
[muh-skee-toh]
/ məˈski toʊ /
noun
-
mosquitoes,
plural
-
mosquitos
plural
-
any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, the females of which suck the blood of animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases, as malaria and yellow fever.
-
Military. Mosquito, a twin-engined, two-seat British fighter and bomber of World War II, made largely of plywood and having a top speed of 380 miles per hour (610 km/h).
Mosquito
2
American
[muh-skee-toh]
/ məˈski toʊ /
noun
-
Mosquitos,
plural
-
Mosquito
plural
mosquito
British
/ məˈskiːtəʊ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mosquito
First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix
Explanation
A mosquito is a tiny stinging insect that leaves an itchy welt on your skin. Between its annoying bites and its ability to spread disease, the mosquito is not the most popular of insects (unlike the fair ladybug). Male mosquitoes feed on nectar and live only a few days, while females need to feed on blood in order for their eggs to develop and be laid. Female mosquitoes, therefore, can be a nuisance on summer evenings, and can even be downright dangerous in tropical areas where they often spread diseases like malaria. In Spanish, mosquito means "little gnat," from mosca, "gnat or fly."
Vocabulary lists containing mosquito
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.
See Examples For:
Military-grade mosquito spray, with its odor of kerosene and bad cheese, perfumed the air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
That leaves fewer shaded, humid spaces for water to pool and mosquitoes to hide, as well as more access for mosquito predators such as birds and larger insects.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
By the end of the ’80s, the mosquito had established itself in at least 15 states.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Aedes albopictus, a mosquito native to Asia that can transmit the same diseases as Aedes aegypti, conquered the country even faster thanks to developments in human infrastructure.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The urge to get my earmuffs is like a mosquito bite I want to itch.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District even has its own fish hatchery, where it rears the aptly named Western mosquitofish.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Florida is on the front lines,” John-Paul Mutebi, director of Miami-Dade County’s Mosquito Control division, told me.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
These alleged failures, however, did not play a role in sparking the Mosquito fire, the notice said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Over the last 12 months more than 700 potential sightings and photos were submitted to the ongoing Mosquito Scotland project.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025
The following year Finlay presented his conclusions in a paper called “The Mosquito Hypothetically Considered as the Agent of Yellow Fever.”
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Mosquitos have spread, due to stagnant waters following the flooding.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
Mosquitos themselves were also among their ranks, further transmitting the deadly disease with each new bite.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2022
The images made by the unit flying in a variety of aircraft, including Mosquitos and Spitfires, helped in the planning of major milestones of the war, including the D-Day landings and the Dambusters raid.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2021
The Blair-Pongracic Band with the Atomic Mosquitos Two instrumental surf bands perform.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 13, 2017
The Mosquitos began to arrive in their legions, and the humming of innumerable wings filled the low clearing with continuous sound.
From Maria Chapdelaine by Blake, W. H.
As populations of Aedes mosquitoes grow and spread across the U.S., researchers expect we’ll see more mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Additional Aedes albopictus mosquitoes arrived via the used tire trade.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Once the invasive Aedes mosquitoes arrived on U.S. soil, they found American cities comfortable places to live.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The fact that Aedes mosquitoes keep showing up in new locales does not necessarily mean those places will go on to experience disease outbreaks.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Odenigbo and Mama were talking beside a water tank, for so long that mosquitoes began to bite Olanna as she stood waiting, so she climbed into the car and pressed the horn.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
But rising temperatures worldwide has helped these disease-carrying mosquitos push into new regions like Europe and the Mediterranean.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Those around him fell sick, exposed to relentless mosquitos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
“I hate mosquitos because they love me so much,” one reader said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
The kingdom of animals is a broad category that includes everything from mosquitos to chimpanzees.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2024
It was one of those nice Florida days that makes you forget about the months of steamy air teeming with blood-hungry mosquitos.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
