deer tick

noun

: an ixodid tick (Ixodes scapularis synonym I. dammini) of the eastern U.S. and Canada that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease

called also black-legged tick

Illustration of deer tick

Illustration of deer tick

Examples of deer tick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District in Minnesota reported its first deer tick of 2024 on Monday, posting a creepy photo on social media of a tick in a vial against the backdrop of Feb. 5 on a calendar. Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2024 The film was a country-house nightmare about contracting disease from deer ticks. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 Powassan virus is spread through a bite from an infected blacklegged, or deer tick, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and the virus can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes after a tick first attaches itself to you. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023 Available in 2-ounce and 4-ounce spray bottles, this repellent advertises up to four hours of protection from deer ticks and up to eight hours for lone star ticks and brown dog ticks. Steven Rowe, Health, 28 Aug. 2023 The deer tick that transmits Lyme disease must feed for more than 36 hours before transmission of the infection, Dr. Peterson says. Sarah Bradley, Women's Health, 26 May 2023 Of those, the deer tick is the one that often bites and infects humans. Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023 The debilitating Lyme disease is caused by the borrelia bacteria, which is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of a black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2023 For example, black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, can carry more than Lyme-causing bacteria. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deer tick.' 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

1982, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deer tick was in 1982

Dictionary Entries Near deer tick

Cite this Entry

“Deer tick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer%20tick. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deer tick

noun
: a tick that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease

Medical Definition

deer tick

noun
: a tick of the genus Ixodes (I. scapularis synonym I. dammini) that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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