Illustration of deer tick
deer tick
noun
: an ixodid tick (Ixodes scapularis synonym I. dammini) of the eastern U.S. and Canada that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease
called also black-legged tick
Examples of deer tick in a Sentence
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Both women reported being bitten by ticks, which suggests that other species — including Ixodes scapularis, also called black-legged or deer ticks — may also be associated with alpha-gal syndrome, though much more rarely.
—
Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2025
Warmer weather give nasty little vectors like the deer ticks that carry the disease a longer time period to spread it.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
While ticks are active, Wisconsinites can contract Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 24 May 2024
The most common way to get Lyme disease is through the bite of the black-legged tick (also called the deer tick) or the western black-legged tick.1
These ticks carry and spread the bacterial strains that cause Lyme disease, specifically Borrelia burgdorferi and, rarely, Borrelia mayonii.
—Jennifer Welsh Published, Verywell Health, 3 Feb. 2025
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Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2025
Warmer weather give nasty little vectors like the deer ticks that carry the disease a longer time period to spread it.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
While ticks are active, Wisconsinites can contract Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 24 May 2024
The most common way to get Lyme disease is through the bite of the black-legged tick (also called the deer tick) or the western black-legged tick.1
These ticks carry and spread the bacterial strains that cause Lyme disease, specifically Borrelia burgdorferi and, rarely, Borrelia mayonii.
—Jennifer Welsh Published, Verywell Health, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deer tick
Cite this Entry
“Deer tick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer%20tick. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
deer tick
noun
: a tick of the genus Ixodes (I. scapularis synonym I. dammini) that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease
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