Illustration of fruit bat
- fruit bat with fruit
fruit bat
noun
: any of a family (Pteropodidae of the suborder Megachiroptera) of often large tropical and subtropical Old World bats that feed on ripe fruit, pollen, and nectar and that usually use visual navigation rather than echolocation
called also flying fox
Examples of fruit bat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Carried by fruit bats and animals such as pigs, the virus can cause fever and brain inflammation.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
That’s because the fruit bats that transmit the virus — among the largest bats in the world — are native to these regions.
—Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The virus is most often spread by fruit bats, and can spread through direct or indirect contact.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
This flu-like, fatal infection carried by fruit bats can spread to pigs and humans, especially through close contact with bodily fluids such as saliva, blood or respiratory droplets.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fruit bat
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Reuters, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
That’s because the fruit bats that transmit the virus — among the largest bats in the world — are native to these regions.
—Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The virus is most often spread by fruit bats, and can spread through direct or indirect contact.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
This flu-like, fatal infection carried by fruit bats can spread to pigs and humans, especially through close contact with bodily fluids such as saliva, blood or respiratory droplets.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fruit bat
Cite this Entry
“Fruit bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit%20bat. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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