as in whims
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
the last maggot he got in his head resulted in a disastrous extramarital affair
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Recent Examples of maggots
Radishes Rapid growth makes radishes ideal as companion plants and trap crops, effective for drawing flea beetles, aphids, slugs, snails, harlequin bugs, and cabbage root maggots away from tomatoes, eggplant, brassicas, cucumbers, and squash.
—
Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Then, eggs hatch maggots that burrow and eat live tissue.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The agency said patients should not try to remove or dispose of the maggots themselves.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
This includes a weeklong winter power outage in 2019, and reports, as recently as last year, of maggots in inmates’ meals.
—Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
The kitchen of the restaurant is crawling with maggots, the damp eats away at the tatami mats and wallpaper decorated with a design of a forest landscape.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Symptoms include seeing or feeling maggots move within a skin wound or sore, or in the ears, nose, eyes or mouth.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Basil tends to repel flies and maggots, and marigolds do as well.
—Haniya Rae, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Their eggs, laid in open wounds or on mucous membranes, would then not hatch into the flesh-eating maggots that can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans.
—John Hanna, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Then, eggs hatch maggots that burrow and eat live tissue.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The agency said patients should not try to remove or dispose of the maggots themselves.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
This includes a weeklong winter power outage in 2019, and reports, as recently as last year, of maggots in inmates’ meals.
—Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
The kitchen of the restaurant is crawling with maggots, the damp eats away at the tatami mats and wallpaper decorated with a design of a forest landscape.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Symptoms include seeing or feeling maggots move within a skin wound or sore, or in the ears, nose, eyes or mouth.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Basil tends to repel flies and maggots, and marigolds do as well.
—Haniya Rae, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Their eggs, laid in open wounds or on mucous membranes, would then not hatch into the flesh-eating maggots that can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans.
—John Hanna, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maggots
Noun
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The other flavors will be up to his weekly whims.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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The league has conformed to The King’s whims.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The bees constructed their hive along hexagonal structures placed inside a translucent box.—
Marisa Guthrie for WWD,
ARTnews.com,
14 May 2026
-
Sunflowers are also very attractive to bees and other pollinators, which love the rich nectar and pollen of these flowers.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Atlanta — Going into retirement, 58-year-old David White of Atlanta, Georgia, had some preconceived notions.—
Steve Hartman,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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With a cast drawn from comedy-scene friends such as Kate Berlant and Conner O’Malley all tuned into a very specific wavelength, the movie somehow surpasses conventional notions of camp and irony to exist in a genuinely unique space all its own.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maggots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maggots. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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