gnat
Americannoun
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any of certain small flies, especially the biting gnats or punkies of the family Ceratopogonidae, the midges of the family Chironomidae, and the black flies of the family Simuliidae.
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British. mosquito.
idioms
noun
Other Word Forms
- gnatlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of gnat
before 900; Middle English; Old English gnæt ( t ); cognate with German (dial.) Gnatze
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 novel opens by describing a local gnat infestation that seems to have spread to the writing, because all the words containing “nat” have been given a silent “g,” as in “extermignate” and “gnaturally.”
Penelope’s scalp was already sweaty beneath her pith helmet, and she found herself shooing away imaginary gnats.
From Literature
The following fall, Helton stood on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek, gnats swirling overhead, wondering if maybe its water really was magic after all.
From Los Angeles Times
With no screens or cell phones to take our attention, we ‘worked’ outside in the back of a pickup under a shade tree with a big fan that kept the gnats away.
From Salon
Amid hordes of gnats they excavate that first fossil, which turns out to be a damaged leg bone.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
