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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
Some 75 percent of the genes that cause genetic diseases in humans are also found in fruit flies, so understanding their neural underpinnings could shed light on our own.
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Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
Very little is known, however, about how animals perceive food texture, so Komarov and his colleagues turned to study the phenomenon in a species that's easy to manipulate — fruit flies.
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Ari Daniel, NPR, 1 Feb. 2025
The restaurant was cited after inspectors found fruit flies flying around the prep area, county documents show.
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Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
Bar flies Depositphotos In a report from August, scientists got fruit flies drunk.
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New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2025
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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 22 Feb. 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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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