sandfly
Americannoun
plural
sandflies-
any of several small, bloodsucking, dipterous insects of the family Psychodidae that are vectors of several diseases of humans.
-
any of several other small, bloodsucking, dipterous insects, as one of the family Heleidae or Simuliidae.
noun
-
any of various small mothlike dipterous flies of the genus Phlebotomus and related genera: the bloodsucking females transmit diseases including leishmaniasis: family Psychodidae
-
any of various similar and related flies
Etymology
Origin of sandfly
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.
Kala-azar is spread by sandflies and is one of the most dangerous neglected tropical diseases, with a fatality rate of 95 percent if untreated, causing fever, weight loss, and enlargement of the spleen and liver.
From Barron's
The team from the University of Nottingham's School of Chemistry analysed the genome of the Lutzomyia longipalpis, a species of sandfly native to Brazil and South America that can spread a disease called Leishmaniasis.
From Science Daily
He jokes that the biggest challenge he faced on “Castaways” was “sharks, sandflies and millennials,” including one of his fellow competitors.
From Seattle Times
The CDC reports that the virus can be transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, mosquito or sandfly.
From Fox News
There, amid the sandflies, we ate dinner while the cameraman took pictures.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
