lanternfly
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lanternfly
First recorded in 1745–55; lantern ( def. ) + fly 1 ( def. )
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.
Such was the case for another once-maligned invasive insect: the spotted lanternfly.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2025
In areas where lanternfly invasions started earlier, such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the populations initially grew exponentially, but the citizen-science data showed them peaking and declining after four or five years.
From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2024
“Spotted lanternfly has been inching closer to the Midwest and Illinois for close to a decade,” said Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, in a statement.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2023
In 2020, a spotted lanternfly crawled across President Joe Biden’s shoulder at a campaign stop in Wilmington, Delaware.
From National Geographic • Aug. 31, 2023
That was the spotted lanternfly mantra of summers past, and the striking bugs are back this year, despite New Yorkers’ best efforts.
From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2023
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.
