stable fly

Save This Word!

noun

a two-winged fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, having the mouthparts adapted for biting, and commonly a household and stable pest.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called biting housefly.

Origin of stable fly

First recorded in 1860–65

Words nearby stable fly

stab kick, stable, stableboy, stable door, stable equation, stable fly, Stableford, stable lad, stableman, stablemate, stabler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stable fly in a sentence

Recently the stable fly has been found to carry the dread disease known as infantile paralysis.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
It would be well worth while to experiment with the larvae of other species, such as the house fly, the stable fly, etc.
New England Salmon Hatcheries and Salmon Fisheries in the Late 19th Century|Various
The stable-fly has this vein slightly curved forward but not nearly so conspicuously (Fig. 43).
Insects and Diseases|Rennie W. Doane
Stomoxys calcitrans, the stable-fly—It is a popular belief that house-flies bite more viciously just before a rain.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley

Newstead considers that in England the stable-fly hibernates in the pupal stage.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley

British Dictionary definitions for stable fly

stable fly

noun

a blood-sucking muscid fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, that attacks man and domestic animals

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