horsefly

Plural: horseflies

Noun

• A large biting fly that preys on livestock.
• winged fly parasitic on horses
• large swift fly the female of which sucks blood of various animals
• Any of several medium to large flies, of the family Tabanidae, that suck the blood of mammals (not to be confused with Stomoxys calcitrans, the stable fly, or dog fly).

Examples

• The high-scoring HORSEFLY was a rare find, but my opponent blocked the juicy ’FLY’ suffix.

Synonyms

cleg, clegg, Hippobosca equina, horse fly, horse tick, breezefly, gadfly, stoat-fly, stout