: any of a family (Calliphoridae) of dipteran flies (such as the bluebottle or screwworm) that deposit their eggs especially on meat or in wounds
Examples of blowfly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Texas, ranchers are bracing for an onslaught of screwworms, the flesh-eating maggots of blowflies.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The new species is Lucilia cuprina, or Australian sheep blowfly.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
Screwworms are a type of blue-gray blowfly and look very similar to black flies found in the United States.
—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
25 Aug. 2025
Fortunately, the female blowfly mates just once in her 30 days of life.
—
Alan Burdick,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
On top of that, medical companies raise blowfly larvae to clean wounds, desert locusts for compounds that might help reduce the risk of heart disease, and lac insects for their secretions, which are used to coat pills.
—
Bob Fischer,
The Conversation,
4 Apr. 2025
Whether that reduces incidence of blowfly parasitism in sheep, however, remains to be seen, Ward-Fear notes.
—
Bygennaro Tomma,
science.org,
11 July 2024
Maggots are the larvae of various fly species, such as fruit flies, houseflies, cheese flies and blowflies.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2024
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Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The new species is Lucilia cuprina, or Australian sheep blowfly.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
Screwworms are a type of blue-gray blowfly and look very similar to black flies found in the United States.
—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
25 Aug. 2025
Fortunately, the female blowfly mates just once in her 30 days of life.
—
Alan Burdick,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
On top of that, medical companies raise blowfly larvae to clean wounds, desert locusts for compounds that might help reduce the risk of heart disease, and lac insects for their secretions, which are used to coat pills.
—
Bob Fischer,
The Conversation,
4 Apr. 2025
Whether that reduces incidence of blowfly parasitism in sheep, however, remains to be seen, Ward-Fear notes.
—
Bygennaro Tomma,
science.org,
11 July 2024
Maggots are the larvae of various fly species, such as fruit flies, houseflies, cheese flies and blowflies.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Blowfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowfly. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blowfly
noun
blow·fly
ˈblō-ˌflī 
: any of various two-winged flies (as a bluebottle) that deposit their eggs on meat or in wounds
Medical Definition
blowfly
noun
blow·fly
-ˌflī
plural blowflies
: any dipteran fly (as a bluebottle or a screwworm) of the family Calliphoridae
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