flea
Americannoun
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any of numerous small, wingless bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera, parasitic upon mammals and birds and noted for their ability to leap.
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either of two common fleas of the genus Ctenocephalides, the very small, black C. felis cat flea or the similar but larger C. canis dog flea, both of which infest cats, dogs, and occasionally humans.
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any of various small beetles and crustaceans that leap like a flea or swim in a jumpy manner, as the water flea and beach flea.
idioms
noun
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any small wingless parasitic blood-sucking insect of the order Siphonaptera , living on the skin of mammals and birds and noted for its power of leaping
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any of various invertebrates that resemble fleas, such as the water flea and flea beetle
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informal a sharp rebuke
Etymology
Origin of flea
before 900; Middle English fle, Old English flēah, flēa; cognate with German Floh; akin to flee
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.
As if he didn’t have a worry in the world, he sat down on his rear and started digging at a flea that wasn’t even there.
From Literature
A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry by Oxford University Press reports that widely used flea and tick treatments for dogs and cats may pose a serious threat to insects in the natural environment.
From Science Daily
“The hardest part of it is going to a flea market, secondhand stores, an estate sale or even just going behind a store to see what people throw away.”
From Los Angeles Times
This was a major own-goal, to be sure, but one could say that Starmer lay down with a dog and got up with fleas.
From Salon
The Ocean's Twelve star said she also frequents flea markets and buys artwork while travelling.
From BBC
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.
