Gnat Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms gnat American [nat] / næt /

noun

1. any of certain small flies, especially the biting gnats or punkies of the family Ceratopogonidae, the midges of the family Chironomidae, and the black flies of the family Simuliidae.

2. British. mosquito.

idioms

1. strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, to fuss about trifles while ignoring more serious matters.

gnat British / næt /

noun

1. any of various small fragile biting dipterous insects of the suborder Nematocera, esp Culex pipiens ( common gnat ), which abounds near stagnant water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• gnatlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of gnat

before 900; Middle English; Old English gnæt ( t ); cognate with German (dial.) Gnatze

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The novel opens by describing a local gnat infestation that seems to have spread to the writing, because all the words containing “nat” have been given a silent “g,” as in “extermignate” and “gnaturally.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Penelope’s scalp was already sweaty beneath her pith helmet, and she found herself shooing away imaginary gnats.

From Literature

The following fall, Helton stood on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek, gnats swirling overhead, wondering if maybe its water really was magic after all.

From Los Angeles Times

With no screens or cell phones to take our attention, we ‘worked’ outside in the back of a pickup under a shade tree with a big fan that kept the gnats away.

From Salon

Amid hordes of gnats they excavate that first fossil, which turns out to be a damaged leg bone.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• grasshopper
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.