mosquito
1 Americannoun
plural
mosquitoes, mosquitos-
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).
noun
plural
Mosquitos,plural
Mosquitonoun
Other Word Forms
- mosquitoey adjective
Etymology
Origin of mosquito
First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix
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.
Insect controls across the entire region also helped prevent the spread of diseases through mosquitoes, ticks and flies.
From Barron's
Tired of spending frigid winters shoveling snow, or of sweating bullets and swatting mosquitoes in the summer?
From MarketWatch
I look down at my arms—littered with tiny red welts from mosquitoes that apparently decided to use me as their pizza party.
From Literature
Now she endured the indifferent kisses of her grandchildren as if she was being pestered by mosquitoes.
From Literature
To catch the minute, translucent fish, fishermen often use mosquito nets in wooden frames.
From Barron's
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.
