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flea
[ flee ]
noun
- any of numerous small, wingless bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera, parasitic upon mammals and birds and noted for their ability to leap.
- either of two common fleas of the genus Ctenocephalides, the very small, black C. felis cat flea or the similar but larger C. canis dog flea, both of which infest cats, dogs, and occasionally humans.
- any of various small beetles and crustaceans that leap like a flea or swim in a jumpy manner, as the water flea and beach flea.
flea
/ ڱː /
noun
- any small wingless parasitic blood-sucking insect of the order Siphonaptera , living on the skin of mammals and birds and noted for its power of leaping
- any of various invertebrates that resemble fleas, such as the water flea and flea beetle
- flea in one's ear informal.a sharp rebuke
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of flea1
Idioms and Phrases
- flea in one's ear,
- a disconcerting rebuke or rebuff:
The next time he shows his face around here he'll get a flea in his ear.
- a broad hint.
More idioms and phrases containing flea
- hurt a fly (flea)
Example Sentences
I think I picked it up at a flea market in Salt Lake City.
Buoyed by a new mantra — “I want to live” — she’s refashioned the apartment with repurposed goods from friends, estate sales, flea markets and the Invaluable online auction app.
I have gone to garage sales and flea markets, and I just put my little stand there and make everything really nice.
For ‘The Office’ actor, a perfect Sunday around town includes a ‘very long brunch,’ hitting up a flea market and catching a live show at Mrs. Fish in downtown.
The floor and foundation were falling apart, inviting hordes of mice and fleas.
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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.
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