mosquito
noun
any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, the females of which suck the blood of animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases, as malaria and yellow fever.
Showing results for "mosquito"
- a variation of Miskito.
mosquito
1 American
[muh-skee-toh]
/ məˈski toʊ /
noun
-
mosquitoes,
plural
-
mosquitos
plural
-
any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, the females of which suck the blood of animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases, as malaria and yellow fever.
-
Military. Mosquito, a twin-engined, two-seat British fighter and bomber of World War II, made largely of plywood and having a top speed of 380 miles per hour (610 km/h).
Mosquito
2
American
[muh-skee-toh]
/ məˈski toʊ /
noun
-
Mosquitos,
plural
-
Mosquito
plural
mosquito
British
/ məˈskiːtəʊ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mosquito
First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix
Explanation
A mosquito is a tiny stinging insect that leaves an itchy welt on your skin. Between its annoying bites and its ability to spread disease, the mosquito is not the most popular of insects (unlike the fair ladybug). Male mosquitoes feed on nectar and live only a few days, while females need to feed on blood in order for their eggs to develop and be laid. Female mosquitoes, therefore, can be a nuisance on summer evenings, and can even be downright dangerous in tropical areas where they often spread diseases like malaria. In Spanish, mosquito means "little gnat," from mosca, "gnat or fly."
Vocabulary lists containing mosquito
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:
The strong presence of mosquito remains also lends support to the idea that prey carcasses may sometimes have been stored in ponds or marshy environments, where mosquitoes would have laid their eggs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Only when they reviewed the images did the Grammatico twins realise they had captured a mosquito resting on the head of a fer-de-lance viper.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Also known as “breakbone fever” — the painful, debilitating disease, which can be fatal, is caused by a virus adapted to an invasive, African mosquito known as Aedes aegypti.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"We have a sandbox he loves, and it's really hard to enjoy the space because we just get annihilated with mosquito bites," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
By comparison, Abuela’s room was opulent, with its double bed, thick mattress, four bedposts from which to tie the mosquito netting, pillows, and a small crocheted rug.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
"With climate change, we're sitting on a ticking time bomb," the 32-year-old founder of Bee Safe Mosquito Control tells AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District even has its own fish hatchery, where it rears the aptly named Western mosquitofish.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
It created a similar program to compensate victims of the 2022 Mosquito fire, which burned nearly 77,000 acres in Placer and El Dorado counties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025
You can get involved in the project and submit your own sightings by visiting the Mosquito Scotland website.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025
The following year Finlay presented his conclusions in a paper called “The Mosquito Hypothetically Considered as the Agent of Yellow Fever.”
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Mosquitos have spread, due to stagnant waters following the flooding.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
Mosquitos themselves were also among their ranks, further transmitting the deadly disease with each new bite.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2022
The images made by the unit flying in a variety of aircraft, including Mosquitos and Spitfires, helped in the planning of major milestones of the war, including the D-Day landings and the Dambusters raid.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2021
The Blair-Pongracic Band with the Atomic Mosquitos Two instrumental surf bands perform.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 13, 2017
The Mosquitos began to arrive in their legions, and the humming of innumerable wings filled the low clearing with continuous sound.
From Maria Chapdelaine by W. H. Blake
For centuries, it was a vast swamp where mosquitoes spread malaria among shepherds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The strong presence of mosquito remains also lends support to the idea that prey carcasses may sometimes have been stored in ponds or marshy environments, where mosquitoes would have laid their eggs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
It is believed the mosquitoes arrived at Germany's busiest airport on a plane, according to German public health officials.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
This year, conditions including a record-smashing March heat wave led to a surge in California’s native Culex mosquitoes, the transmitters of West Nile virus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was summer now, so the woods were a new and different place, alive with green and filled with birdsong and swarming mosquitoes and pesky blackfly.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Those around him fell sick, exposed to relentless mosquitos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
To avoid contracting West Nile virus, the CDC recommends reducing outside activities during the daytime, when mosquitos are most active.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
This virus is predominantly spread by midge bites rather than mosquitos, with the main type of midge involved in transmission not found in Europe or the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
Florida, Texas and other temperate — but not tropical — Southern states were previously too cold for these mosquitos to thrive.
From Salon ● May 23, 2024
The mosquitos had nearly driven him mad and the thought of being rid of them lifted his spirits.
From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
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.
