horsefly

British

/ ˈhɔːsˌflaɪ /

noun

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.

A late August sun seemed to boil the river and the deerflies and horseflies were not to be believed.

From Literature

Every time she opens her mouth I swear a swarm of horseflies and pestilence are released to consume the countryside.

From Salon

She observed the two reptiles struggling, uncertain which was the aggressor, while horseflies clung to the snake’s back.

From BBC

I was so hungry I could eat a horsefly.

From Literature

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

From Los Angeles Times

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