fruit bat

American

noun

any fruit-eating bat, especially of the suborder Megachiroptera, of tropical regions throughout the Old World, typically having erect, catlike ears and large eyes adapted for night vision, and either tailless or with a rudimentary tail, the numerous species ranging in wingspan from 10 inches to 5 feet (25 centimeters to 1.5 meters).

fruit bat British

noun

any large Old World bat of the suborder Megachiroptera , occurring in tropical and subtropical regions and feeding on fruit Compare insectivorous bat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fruit bat

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When John Miskelly heard about Jersey Zoo's cost-cutting plans to shut its colony of Livingstone's fruit bats last year, he was deeply concerned.

From BBC

The Nipah virus can be transmitted from animals, like pigs and fruit bats, to humans.

From BBC

The virus, which is thought to have originated in fruit bats, was first detected in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now DR Congo.

From BBC

In total darkness, Mr Raul stood amid fruit bats emerging from a historical ruin, using focus and flash to capture the moment.

From BBC

The Marburg virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023