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fruit fly
noun
: any of various small dipteran flies (such as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter
Examples of fruit fly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The restaurant was cited after inspectors found fruit flies flying around the prep area, county documents show.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
Bar flies Depositphotos In a report from August, scientists got fruit flies drunk.
—New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2025
The oriental fruit fly can spread rapidly and when successfully spread, the fruit fly causes fruit to decay early and fall to the ground.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024
Remarkably, the model also predicted the response of neurons in actual fruit flies that had seen the same videos in earlier studies.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 17 Sep. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
circa 1753, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near fruit fly
Cite this Entry
“Fruit fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit%20fly. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
fruit fly
noun
: any of various small two-winged flies whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter
Medical Definition
fruit fly
noun
: any of various small dipteran flies (as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter
More from Merriam-Webster on fruit fly
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fruit fly
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