blow fly

or blowfly


noun
  1. any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Calliphoridae that deposit their eggs or larvae on carrion, excrement, etc., or in wounds of living animals.

Origin of blow fly

1
First recorded in 1815–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use blow fly in a sentence

  • These must have been the larv of a blowfly similar to that which has been mentioned by others as inhabiting Sarracenia.

    The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott Elliot
  • A blowfly crawled over a caribou carcass, and possibly a few black flies were abroad.

  • He swore savagely under his breath, and dabbed viciously at a blowfly that suddenly became noisy on the window-pane.

  • Mrs. Drake continued, waddling to the mantelpiece and flicking a disreputable blowfly from one of the vases.

    A Drake by George! | John Trevena
  • He had eased his uncle's labours by crushing the wasp, and averted his aunt's displeasure by obliterating the blowfly.

    A Drake by George! | John Trevena

British Dictionary definitions for blowfly

blowfly

/ (ˈbləʊˌflaɪ) /


nounplural -flies
  1. any of various dipterous flies of the genus Calliphora and related genera that lay their eggs in rotting meat, dung, carrion, and open wounds: family Calliphoridae: Also called: bluebottle

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