vampire bat

American

noun

any of several New World tropical bats of the genera Desmodus, Diphylla, and Diaemus, the size of a small mouse, feeding on small amounts of blood obtained from resting mammals and birds by means of a shallow cut made with specialized incisor teeth.
any of several large South American bats of the genera Phyllostomus and Vampyrus, erroneously believed to feed on blood.
false vampire.

vampire bat British

noun

any bat, esp Desmodus rotundus, of the family Desmodontidae of tropical regions of Central and South America, having sharp incisor and canine teeth and feeding on the blood of birds and mammals Compare false vampire

"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

Etymology

Origin of vampire bat

First recorded in 1780–90

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.

The Vampire bat is often the cause of much trouble, by biting the horses on their withers.

From The Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin, Charles

But there is a big bat, called the Vampire bat, that will do a good deal of mischief, if he can get a chance.

From Our Young Folks at Home and Abroad by Dale, Daphne

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023