fruit flynoun [ C ]
uk/ˈfruːt ˌflaɪ/us/ˈfruːt ˌflaɪ/a small flying insect that feeds on plants and leaves its eggs on the leaves of plants
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Insect names
- anopheles
- ant
- aphid
- beastie
- bedbug
- creepy-crawly
- daddy longlegs
- deathwatch beetle
- dragonfly
- earwig
- insect
- ladybird
- lice
- lightning bug
- locust
- silverfish
- stick insect
- termite
- tortoiseshell butterfly
- tsetse fly
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Examples from literature
- I use fruit flies because of their extreme adaptability.
- In late summer and autumn many specimens of a small fruit fly, known as the "vinegar fly,"make their appearance, attracted by the odor of overripe fruit.
- One mixture which we use is a mixture which is normally used against the fruit flies which are oftentimes injurious to fruit, particularly in the east and in tropical countries.
- Professor Morgan, for example, has found a strain of fruit flies whose offspring in cold weather are usually born with supernumerary legs.
- The fact is, I am working with fruit flies.