black fly

noun

any of the minute, black gnats of the dipterous family Simuliidae, having aquatic larvae.

Origin of black fly

First recorded in 1600–10

Also called buffalo gnat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use black fly in a sentence

The blackfly and mosquito attack both man and beast in maddening millions.
Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador | William Wood

British Dictionary definitions for blackfly (1 of 2)

blackfly

/ (ˈblækˌflaɪ) /

nounplural -flies

a black aphid, Aphis fabae, that infests beans, sugar beet, and other plants: Also called: bean aphid

British Dictionary definitions for black fly (2 of 2)

black fly

noun

any small blackish stout-bodied dipterous fly of the family Simuliidae, which sucks the blood of man, mammals, and birds: See also buffalo gnat

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

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