medfly

noun

med·​fly ˈmed-ˌflī How to pronounce medfly (audio)
often capitalized

Examples of medfly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After discovery of three Mediterranean fruit flies, or medflies, in October, Los Angeles County officials dropped millions of sterile flies on a 9-square-mile area around Baldwin Hills to prevent an outbreak. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024 In 1980, state and federal agencies mounted an eradication operation after an outbreak of medflies in the Santa Clara Valley southeast of San Francisco. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 The aerial drops alone would not be enough to eradicate fruit flies, said UC Davis entomology professor James Carey, who has studied medflies since 1980 and was on the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s medfly scientific advisory panel from 1987 to 1994. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 California has been battling medfly infestations for decades. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Nov. 2023 The operation was kicked off after the discovery of three Mediterranean fruit flies, or medflies, last month. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023

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

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of medfly was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near medfly

Cite this Entry

“Medfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medfly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

medfly

noun
med·​fly ˈmed-ˌflī How to pronounce medfly (audio)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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