hoverfly

noun

hov·​er·​fly ˈhə-vər-ˌflī How to pronounce hoverfly (audio)
ˈhä-
: any of a family (Syrphidae) of dipteran flies that are noted for frequenting flowers and hovering at one place in the air and include some whose larvae prey on plant lice

called also syrphid fly

Examples of hoverfly 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.
In the new study, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences observed 12 species of solitary bee and hoverfly, harmless relatives of the pests that swarm our garbage, collecting pseudopollen from C. wardii orchids in the forested mountains of Sichuan province. — Richard Pallardy, Science | AAAS, 12 May 2021 To glean insights from the hoverfly, the team spent more than a decade carefully studying the neuronal pathways of its eyes and measuring their electrical responses to light. — Monique Brouillette, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hoverfly was in 1881

Rhymes for hoverfly

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hoverfly
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Cite this Entry

“Hoverfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoverfly. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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