Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for horsefly. Search instead for horse-eye.

horsefly

British  
/ ˈhɔːsˌflaɪ /

noun

  1. Also called: gadfly.   cleg.  any large stout-bodied dipterous fly of the family Tabanidae, the females of which suck the blood of mammals, esp horses, cattle, and man

"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

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.

See Examples For:

It flew back and forth, menacing, like a horsefly.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 30, 2023

Ms Rudd, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, said after noticing the pimple on 25 March, she went to A&E where staff suspected a horsefly bite.

From BBC Apr. 18, 2023

He was a controversialist, a horsefly on the body politic.

From New York Times Jan. 6, 2020

The sounds are wildly escalated to the point of disorienting so that a creaking door, clanging cookware and buzzing of a horsefly will cause near heart attacks from the surround sound and deep bass levels.

From Washington Times Jan. 23, 2018

Astride her web, Charlotte sat moodily eating a horsefly and thinking about the future.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training