: feeding on or destroying flesh or soft tissue
A Kentucky man was diagnosed with a flesh-eating infection after he went camping along the Green River.Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
… infestation by blowflies whose eggs hatch into flesh-eating maggots.Kerry Capell
But according to Eugenie Clark, a University of Maryland zoologist, "the white shark, the largest flesh-eating fish, is anything but a mindless, constant eating machine."Discover
Natural history buffs will find … a 145-million-year-old foot from the Allosaur, one of the largest flesh-eating dinosaurs …Carolyn Hughes Crowley
see also flesh-eating bacterium, flesh-eating disease

Examples of flesh-eating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Louisiana health officials are urging Gulf Coast beachgoers to take precautions amid a surge in infections caused by a flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters. Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 The catchy musical about that flesh-eating plant is never too far in the rearview either. ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 The flesh-eating New World Screwworm is the parasitic larva that emerges from eggs laid by flies in the open wounds or body openings of warm-blooded animals and humans, with untreated cases potentially leading to severe injury or death. Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026 Health officials are warning the public to stay vigilant after a flesh-eating bacteria infection killed at least seven people across two states in recent weeks. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flesh-eating

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flesh-eating was in 1588

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flesh-eating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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