robber fly


noun
  1. any of numerous swift-flying, often large, dipterous insects of the family Asilidae that are predaceous on other insects.

Origin of robber fly

1
First recorded in 1870–75

Words Nearby robber fly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use robber fly in a sentence

  • He half-expected that the robber fly would pop out from behind a blossom at any moment and pounce upon him.

    The Tale of Buster Bumblebee | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • Once the robber fly pounces on you you'll be so frightened you can't even squirm.

    The Tale of Buster Bumblebee | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • But as time passed, his dread of meeting the robber fly gradually faded.

    The Tale of Buster Bumblebee | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • And Buster expected every instant to feel the cruel beak of the robber fly, when there was a sudden commotion behind his back.

    The Tale of Buster Bumblebee | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • At last a spiteful worker informed him that he had never been in the clutches of the robber fly at all.

    The Tale of Buster Bumblebee | Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for robber fly

robber fly

noun
  1. any of the predatory dipterous flies constituting the family Asilidae, which have a strong bristly body with piercing mouthparts and which prey on other insects: Also called: bee killer, assassin fly

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