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crane fly
noun
: any of a family (Tipulidae) of long-legged slender dipteran flies that resemble large mosquitoes but do not bite
Examples of crane fly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our experts said there's no reason to get rid of crane flies.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
There's no specific homemade repellent for crane flies.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
Another flying pest that resembles the mosquito is the crane fly, also called mosquito hawks.
—Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024
North Texas weather is a haunted house full of crane flies, and the cost of entry to build even the micro-est of farms is steep.
—Nick Rallo, Dallas News, 12 June 2023
Another great bait for perch fishing is oak leaf grubs, which are actually crane fly larvae.
—Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023
Despite their creepy mosquito-like appearance, crane flies are completely benign.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 23 Mar. 2023
Monitor for European crane fly and treat lawns if damage has been verified.
—oregonlive, 1 Mar. 2022
Stop irrigating your lawn after Labor Day to suppress European crane fly populations.
—oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crane fly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1658, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near crane fly
Cite this Entry
“Crane fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crane%20fly. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
crane fly
noun
: any of numerous long-legged slender two-winged flies that resemble large mosquitoes but do not bite
More from Merriam-Webster on crane fly
Britannica English: Translation of crane fly for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crane fly
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