sooty mold

noun

: a dark growth of fungus mycelium growing in insect honeydew on plants

also : any of various ascomycetous fungi (order Dothideales) producing such growth

Examples of sooty mold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Aphids leave a sticky substance called honeydew on leaves, which can lead to the growth of sooty mold. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025

Also, black sooty mold growing on the excreta from the insects starts to form on the stems and foliage. —Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2025

This encourages the growth of sooty molds in addition to making a mess on your furniture. —Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2025

Citrus leaf miners don’t have secretions on which sooty mold forms. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sooty mold

• copyhold
• decontrolled
• hundredfold
• manifold
• marigold
• oversold
• petioled
• sevenfold
• stranglehold
• subthreshold
• thousandfold
• uncontrolled