gnat

noun

ˈnat 

: any of various small usually biting dipteran flies

gnatty

ˈna-tē 

adjective

Examples of gnat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Arizona, the duration of a gnat infestation can vary depending on the species of gnat, environmental conditions and the effectiveness of control measures. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024

But since plants can carry gnats in all phases of their lives, at once, the method of treating gnat infestations will differ depending on the stages of development. —Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024

This will help cut down on the fungal gnats that always seem to swarm around a plant that is transitioned indoors from outside. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024

For once, the entity piercing through The View's airspace was not a phantom noise, a doomed gnat, an unknown spectral entity, or Joy Behar's cell phone, but rather the thrusting pelvis of a ripped stripper. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English gnætt; akin to Old English gnagan to gnaw

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gnat

• fungus gnat

Rhymes for gnat

• at
• bat
• batt
• brat
• cat
• chat
• fat
• flat
• gat
• hat
• kat
• mat

Kids Definition

gnat

noun

ˈnat 

: any of various small usually biting two-winged flies

Medical Definition

gnat

noun

ˈnat 

: any of various small usually biting dipteran flies (as a midge or blackfly)