Illustration of mosquito
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskē-(ˌ)tō 
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of a family (Culicidae) of dipteran flies with females that have a set of slender organs in the proboscis adapted to puncture the skin of animals and to suck their blood and that are in some cases vectors of serious diseases
Examples of mosquito in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles County is home to several types of mosquitoes, including multiple kinds of culex mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus, usually in the summer months.
—
Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Defend against mosquitoes by using effective insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
▪ Make sure door and window screens are intact to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 5 June 2024
Her debut memoir is steeped in humidity and flecked with beads of sweat, pricked by mosquitoes, and slathered with candy-scented body lotion.
—Kristen Arnett, TIME, 4 June 2024
The virus is transmitted by a biting midge called Culicoides paraensis, which Durán said has yet to be found on the island, and by certain Culex mosquitoes that live in hot, humid places like Cuba.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for mosquito 
Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Defend against mosquitoes by using effective insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
▪ Make sure door and window screens are intact to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 5 June 2024
Her debut memoir is steeped in humidity and flecked with beads of sweat, pricked by mosquitoes, and slathered with candy-scented body lotion.
—Kristen Arnett, TIME, 4 June 2024
The virus is transmitted by a biting midge called Culicoides paraensis, which Durán said has yet to be found on the island, and by certain Culex mosquitoes that live in hot, humid places like Cuba.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for mosquito
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mosquito.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Mosquito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosquito. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-ō
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous two-winged flies of which the females have a needlelike structure of the mouth region adapted to puncture the skin and suck the blood of animals
Etymology
from Spanish mosquito "mosquito," literally "little fly," from mosca "fly"
Medical Definition
mosquito
noun
mos·qui·to
mə-ˈskēt-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
plural mosquitoes also mosquitos
: any of numerous dipteran flies of the family Culicidae that have a rather narrow abdomen, usually a long slender rigid proboscis, and narrow wings with a fringe of scales on the margin and usually on each side of the wing veins, that have in the male broad feathery antennae and mouthparts not fitted for piercing and in the female slender antennae and a set of needlelike organs in the proboscis with which they puncture the skin of animals to suck the blood, that lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant water, that include many species which pass through several generations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults or winter in the egg state, and that include some species which are the only vectors of certain diseases see aedes, anopheles, culex
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