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:
The strong presence of mosquito remains also lends support to the idea that prey carcasses may sometimes have been stored in ponds or marshy environments, where mosquitoes would have laid their eggs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Only when they reviewed the images did the Grammatico twins realise they had captured a mosquito resting on the head of a fer-de-lance viper.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“August and September are peak periods of West Nile virus transmission in the state, so we urge everyone to take precautions to protect themselves against mosquito bites.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Military-grade mosquito spray, with its odor of kerosene and bad cheese, perfumed the air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He rubbed at a cluster of mosquito bites on his arm.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
"With climate change, we're sitting on a ticking time bomb," the 32-year-old founder of Bee Safe Mosquito Control tells AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
The riders work for the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, the first mosquito-control program in the nation to launch a bicycle brigade, according to Ary Faraji, the district’s executive director.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The virus was detected in a mosquito collected from a surveillance trap in the city of Alhambra, the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District announced Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
You can get involved in the project and submit your own sightings by visiting the Mosquito Scotland website.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025
Mosquito bites usually annoy me, but I don’t just feel irritated—I feel confused.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
For a time the Spanish adventurers were disappointed tremendously to find neither spices nor silks and but little gold in the "Indies," and Columbus was derisively dubbed the "Admiral of the Mosquitos."
From A Political and Social History of Modern Europe V.1. by Carlton J. H. Hayes
Among the most common genetic traces in Neanderthal tartar were remains from Diptera, the insect group that includes flies and mosquitoes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
What if we wiped out all the mosquitoes in the world?
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
West Nile virus survives in nature in several types of birds and is transmitted to humans by the bites of mosquitoes that feed on infected birds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some days it feels like we’re losing a battle against mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, flies and worms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
But Reverend Hunt says he thinks it has something to do with the mosquitoes.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Those around him fell sick, exposed to relentless mosquitos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
To avoid contracting West Nile virus, the CDC recommends reducing outside activities during the daytime, when mosquitos are most active.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
Fighting off mosquitos, she uses her hijab to cover her one-month-old baby.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
The kingdom of animals is a broad category that includes everything from mosquitos to chimpanzees.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2024
Sleep didn’t come, couldn’t come with the insects ripping at him, so he lay the rest of the night, slapping mosquitos and chewing with his mind on die day.
From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
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.
