parasitize

verb

par·​a·​sit·​ize ˈper-ə-sə-ˌtiz How to pronounce parasitize (audio)
-ˌsī-,
ˈpa-rə-
parasitized; parasitizing

transitive verb

: to infest or live on or with as a parasite
parasitization
ˌper-ə-sə-tə-ˈzā-shən How to pronounce parasitize (audio)
-ˌsī-
ˌpa-rə-
noun

Examples of parasitize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
They've been linked to cicadas before, with the Illinois Department of Public Health releasing a report in 2008 that said cicadas were the only insect parasitized by the mites the year prior. Li Cohen, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2024 Named for the birds that lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, cuckoo bees also parasitize the nests of other bees. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024 In the early 1980s, half the vireo nests there were parasitized. Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 According to Alexander Cruz, a biologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, it hasn’t yet been caught parasitizing nests, but that’s just a matter of time. Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 See all Example Sentences for parasitize 

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of parasitize was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near parasitize

Cite this Entry

“Parasitize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parasitize. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

parasitize

verb
par·​a·​sit·​ize ˈpar-ə-sə-ˌtīz How to pronounce parasitize (audio)
-ˌsīt-ˌīz
parasitized; parasitizing
: to infest or live on or with as a parasite
an insect that parasitizes many mammals

Medical Definition

parasitize

transitive verb
par·​a·​sit·​ize
variants also British parasitise
parasitized also British parasitised; parasitizing also British parasitising
: to infest or live on or with as a parasite
parasitization noun
also British parasitisation
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