kissing bug
noun
: any of various large bloodsucking bugs and especially some assassin bugs (genus Triatoma) including some capable of inflicting painful bites
called also conenose
Examples of kissing bug in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What do bloodsucking kissing bugs look like?
—
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Unlike ticks, kissing bugs do not attach to a host.
—Greta Cross, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Although kissing bugs have been identified in 32 states, Chagas disease has been considered nonendemic in the country, the CDC said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Scientists have found kissing bugs in 32 states, the new report says.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The Mayo Clinic also advises that people avoid sleeping in a mud or thatch house, since kissing bugs thrive in those environments.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Unlike ticks, kissing bugs do not attach to a host.
—Greta Cross, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025
The beetles, also called kissing bugs, are just one example of the many insects, snakes and mammals that could become deadly to people in Tennessee, either through bites or severe allergic reactions to bites.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 13 June 2025
The American counterpart to the Tsetse fly, which causes African sleeping sickness, kissing bugs bear a parasite from the same genus (Trypanosoma) in their feces.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
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Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Unlike ticks, kissing bugs do not attach to a host.
—Greta Cross, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Although kissing bugs have been identified in 32 states, Chagas disease has been considered nonendemic in the country, the CDC said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Scientists have found kissing bugs in 32 states, the new report says.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The Mayo Clinic also advises that people avoid sleeping in a mud or thatch house, since kissing bugs thrive in those environments.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Unlike ticks, kissing bugs do not attach to a host.
—Greta Cross, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025
The beetles, also called kissing bugs, are just one example of the many insects, snakes and mammals that could become deadly to people in Tennessee, either through bites or severe allergic reactions to bites.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 13 June 2025
The American counterpart to the Tsetse fly, which causes African sleeping sickness, kissing bugs bear a parasite from the same genus (Trypanosoma) in their feces.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Kissing bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kissing%20bug. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
kissing bug
noun
kiss·ing bug
ˈkis-iŋ-ˌbəg 
: conenose
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