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  • mosquito
    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.
  • Mosquito
    Mosquito
    noun
Synonyms

mosquito

1 American  
[muh-skee-toh] / məˈski toʊ /

noun

  • mosquitoes,
    plural
  • mosquitos
    plural
  1. 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.

  2. 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
  1. Miskito.


mosquito British  
/ məˈskiːtəʊ /

noun

  1. any dipterous insect of the family Culicidae: the females have a long proboscis adapted for piercing the skin of man and animals to suck their blood See also aedes anopheles culex

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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."

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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

By the end of the ’80s, the mosquito had established itself in at least 15 states.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

Those ships also carried supplies of fresh water for the monthslong voyage, stored in barrels fit for mosquito breeding.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

He and his team take what’s known as an integrated mosquito management approach to protect Salt Lake City residents from the incessant itch that the pests bring.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

Over the bed flows one of those decorative mosquito nets fit for a queen, but here, it seems to be keeping disease in rather than out.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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 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

Even the Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District board of trustees — on which Hale recently served as president — has been the subject of controversy.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 27, 2026

The Mosquito Scotland project will continue to help track their population and scientists say it will help provide a crucial early warning system for potential risk, as the species respond to environmental change.

From BBC Apr. 30, 2025

Thirty passengers had to be rescued from the Virginia V, one of the last of the city’s historic Mosquito Fleet, when she smashed into a wharf and her superstructure was crushed.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

Mosquitos and an insect known as the "bull-dog" had driven many a trapper and hunter out of the swampy regions around Hudson Bay.

From Boy Scouts in Northern Wilds by Fletcher, Archibald Lee

Aedes mosquitoes are vectors for some of the most serious and widespread mosquito-borne diseases.

From Slate 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

“These mosquitoes really like living with us,” Douglas Norris, a vector biologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told me.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

Female mosquitoes need the proteins and iron in blood to produce viable eggs, so a blood meal is a vital part of the insect’s reproductive cycle.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

“Maybe. At least the smoke from the campfire keeps mosquitoes away, so I stayed in front of it all night. The tent is crowded, too, so outside is the better of the terrible choices.”

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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

This virus is predominantly spread by midge bites rather than mosquitos, with the main type of midge involved in transmission not found in Europe or the UK.

From BBC Aug. 13, 2025

The kingdom of animals is a broad category that includes everything from mosquitos to chimpanzees.

From Salon Jul. 14, 2024

The flames cut the cool damp morning, crackled and did much to bring his spirits up, not to mention chasing away the incessant mosquitos.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

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