housefly

American  

[hous-flahy] / ˈhaʊsˌflaɪ /

Or house fly

noun

houseflies plural

1. a medium-sized, gray-striped fly, Musca domestica, common around human habitations in nearly all parts of the world.

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housefly British  

/ ˈhaʊsˌflaɪ /

noun

1. a common dipterous fly, Musca domestica, that frequents human habitations, spreads disease, and lays its eggs in carrion, decaying vegetables, etc: family Muscidae

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• houseflies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of housefly

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at house, fly ¹

Example Sentences

Federal, state and local agricultural officials plan to eradicate the fly, which is about the size of a housefly with black and yellow markings.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2023

If you see a dead housefly on a windowsill surrounded by a ghostly halo of tiny white spores, it’s a death trap.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 1, 2021

Talking cookies, disappearing bridges, reverse gravity, a housefly turned flying house, a car with arms, a nightmarish screaming mime.

From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2021

Musca domestica, otherwise known as the common housefly, is known to be a mechanical vector of pathogens.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2020

In the first place, as we have seen, the housefly has now become virtually uncontrollable by insecticides.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson