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
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
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.
