Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various biting tabanid flies of the genus Chrysops, the females of which feed on the blood of mammals. Deerflies are smaller than horseflies and usually have a dark band on the wings.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of various species of fly which infest deer.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From deer +‎ fly.

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Examples

  • A deerfly hummed in the heat and settled on his forehead, and when his face twitched like a snapping rubber band, I jumped backward involuntarily.

    The Convict and Other Stories James Lee Burke 2010

  • People can get tularemia many different ways: being bitten by an infected tick, deerfly or other insect; handling infected animal carcasses; eating or drinking contaminated food or water; and breathing in the bacteria, F. tularensis.

    Tularemia 2008

  • Henry Wellington flicked a deerfly from the table.

    THUNDER BAY WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER 2007

  • Henry Wellington flicked a deerfly from the table.

    THUNDER BAY WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER 2007

  • Henry Wellington flicked a deerfly from the table.

    THUNDER BAY WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER 2007

  • Henry Wellington flicked a deerfly from the table.

    THUNDER BAY WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER 2007

  • It really was a wonderful weekend, despite my getting sunburnt, mosquito - bitten (Krys got a deerfly bite on her foot), and sore from canoeing for the first time in 10 years.

    2004 September 06 « Mudpuddle 2004

  • It really was a wonderful weekend, despite my getting sunburnt, mosquito - bitten (Krys got a deerfly bite on her foot), and sore from canoeing for the first time in 10 years.

    Camping at Charleston Lake « Mudpuddle 2004

  • It really was a wonderful weekend, despite my getting sunburnt, mosquito - bitten (Krys got a deerfly bite on her foot), and sore from canoeing for the first time in 10 years.

    2004 September « Mudpuddle 2004

  • It felt like the bite of a female deerfly, which slashes the flesh and drinks the blood.

    Mission Of Honor Clancy, Tom 2002

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