fruit fly

noun

Any insect of the Tephritidae family, whose larvae damage plant tissue.

Similar
fag hagpomace fly
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Meanings

nounfruit fly (plural fruit flies)

plural fruit flies · alternative fruitfly

  1. Any insect of the Tephritidae family, whose larvae damage plant tissue.
  2. Any insect of the Drosophilidae family, whose larvae feed on ripening fruit, especially the species Drosophila melanogaster that is used in genetic research.
  3. slangA woman who enjoys the company of gay men.

    Dan Valentine works as a bartender in a pissy and discreet Boston Village gay bar called "Bonaparte's". Clarisse is a chi-chi phruit phly who occasionally puts in time pushing real estate in fash Back Bay and the South End.

    1980 December 13, Mitzel, “Dale Barbre's Murder Transformed”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 21, page 12

    Synonyms: fag hag

  4. slanguncommonA heterosexual man who enjoys the company of gay men, or queer people in general.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA woman who enjoys the company of gay men.

Similar
fag hag

More synonyms by meaning

nounany of numerous small insects whose larvae feed on fruits

Similar
pomace fly
Broader
dipterous insecttwo-winged insectsdipteran
Also see
fag hag

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 果蠅 /果蝇
  • 果蠅 /果蝇 (guǒyíng)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Estonian äädikakärbes
  • äädikakärbesDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Finnish banaanikärpänen
  • banaanikärpänenDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
French mouche des fruits, drosophile
  • mouche des fruitsTephritidae
  • drosophileDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • mouche des fruitsDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
German Fruchtfliege, Bohrfliege
  • FruchtfliegeTephritidae
  • BohrfliegeTephritidae
  • TaufliegeDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • EssigfliegeDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • ObstfliegeDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • FruchtfliegeDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Hungarian fúrólégy, gyümölcslégy
  • fúrólégyTephritidae
  • gyümölcslégyDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • harmatlégyDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • borlégyDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • muslicaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • muslincaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Italian moscerino della frutta
  • moscerino della fruttaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Japanese 実蝿, ミバエ
  • 実蝿 (mibae)Tephritidae
  • ミバエ (mibae)Tephritidae
  • 猩々蝿 (shōjōbae)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Korean 초파리, 초파리과
  • 초파리 (chopari)Tephritidae
  • 초파리과 (choparigwa)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Persian مگس میوه, مگس سرکه
  • مگس میوه (magas-e mive)Tephritidae
  • مگس سرکه (magas-e serke)Tephritidae
  • مگس سرکه (magas-e serke)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Polish muszka owocowa, muszka owocówka
  • muszka owocowaTephritidae
  • muszka owocówkaTephritidae
  • drozofilaTephritidae
  • octówkaTephritidae
  • wywilżankaTephritidae
  • wywilżnaTephritidae
  • wywilżniaTephritidae
  • muszka owocowaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • muszka owocówkaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • drozofilaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • octówkaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • wywilżankaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Portuguese mosca-das-frutas
  • mosca-das-frutasDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Russian пестрокры́лка, плодо́вая му́ха
  • пестрокры́лка (pestrokrýlka)Tephritidae
  • плодо́вая му́ха (plodóvaja múxa)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • дрозофи́ла (drozofíla)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Spanish mosca de la fruta
  • mosca de la frutaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Swedish borrfluga, fruktfluga
  • borrflugaTephritidae
  • fruktflugaTephritidae
  • bananflugaDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Turkish meyve sineği
  • meyve sineğiDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Ukrainian осе́тниця, дрозофі́ла
  • осе́тниця (osétnycja)Tephritidae
  • дрозофі́ла (drozofíla)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • плодова́ му́ха (plodová múxa)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
  • плодо́ва му́ха (plodóva múxa)Drosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Vietnamese ruồi giấm
  • ruồi giấmDrosophilidae — see also Drosophila melanogaster
Cite this entry
APA

fruit fly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fruit%20fly

MLA

“fruit fly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fruit%20fly. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fruit fly,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fruit%20fly.

Source: fruit fly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.