gnat
16
1.3
- noun
- /næt/
:
mosquito
- I'd rather deal with gnats and mosquitoes than these nasty, dirty streets.
- gnats and flies
And that's because there are gnats and flies in this office constantly.
- And that's because there are gnats and flies in this office constantly.
- A library humming like a swarm of gnats.
- That's like a gnat flying full speed ahead into an elephant and the elephant says quit the shoving.
- And those are fungus gnats and mites.
- The four or five major insect offenders for house plants are mealy bugs, aphids, spider mites, fungus gnats, and whitefly.
Examples
-
Well, I looked ahead, and there was this great big cloud of gnats on a summer evening.
-
Tiny bells, the size of gnats, ring on every inch of his skin.
Fiction book (1995) -
And that's because there are gnats and flies in this office constantly.
-
The flies, mosquitoes, and gnats rolled across the green land in droves.
Fiction book (1990) -
The hard labor under a scathing Florida sun, combined with the ubiquitous mosquitoes and gnats, must have been torturous.
Academic text (1998) -
On hot summer days, the gnats buzz around our picnic, making it hard to enjoy the food.
-
The lake was swarming with tiny gnats, causing everyone to swat at their faces.
-
After a walk by the marsh, I found myself covered in bites from pesky gnats.
Synonyms
70
1.0
A small flying insect whose female bites people or animals to drink blood
4
6.1
A very small flying insect often found near water that sometimes bites
1
9.9
A very small flying insect that makes itchy bites on people and animals
A very small flying insect that bites animals and people
A small black fly that bites people and animals, often near water
Tiny flies that bite people and animals, often near water, and can spread disease
Small flying insects that bite people and animals near water
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
How Small
Surface Forms
Etymology
Gnat comes from an old English word gnæt that meant 'small biting fly', so the name has long been used for the tiny, annoying insects that fly near people and sometimes bite.