mosquito
1 Americannoun
plural
mosquitoes, mosquitos-
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).
noun
plural
Mosquitos,plural
Mosquitonoun
Other Word Forms
- mosquitoey adjective
Etymology
Origin of mosquito
First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix
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.
My body was covered in a handful of enlarged mosquito bites, many of them already open gashes from my relentless itching.
From Salon
It would have been another of life’s perfect moments except for the mosquitoes and chiggers and whatever was crawling off J.W. and onto us.
From Literature
I tried lighting a smudge in a tin can in the middle of the canoe as I paddled—which worked for mosquitoes—but it didn’t bother the flies at all.
From Literature
It is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which rapidly multiply inside both human hosts and mosquitoes.
From Science Daily
Irked residents across Southern California have recently complained to their vector control districts about an onslaught of mosquito activity, many sporting ankle bites to prove it.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
