housefly
noun
house·fly ˈhau̇s-ˌflī 
: a cosmopolitan dipteran fly (Musca domestica) that is often about human habitations and may act as a mechanical vector of diseases (such as typhoid fever)
also : any of various flies of similar appearance or habitat
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web This option is not made for killing bugs larger than a housefly and works best on mosquitoes. 
Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2022 Swallow a tube of lip balm, perhaps, or snort a housefly. Amy Nicholson, WSJ, 24 Mar. 2022 The new discovery, currently known as Thiomargarita magnifica is longer than a housefly. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 15 Mar. 2022 Keck noted a housefly can go from egg to adult in about a week. René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 9 Dec. 2020 Just as Pence was discussing racial injustice and the police killing of Breonna Taylor, a housefly landed on his head. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 7 Oct. 2020 On May 13, 1984, as the Globe Star negotiated the Atlantic, the crew received a visit from a housefly. Margalit Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2020 Somehow, someway, my wife and I have worked from home part-time while corralling a 3-year-old who has the patience of a housefly. Pete Croatto, Good Housekeeping, 4 June 2020 On Adam’s computer screen, the ship now looked like a robotic housefly, its proboscis probing toward an enormous, crumbly piece of gray bread. Chris Wright, Wired, 8 June 2020 See More
Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2022 Swallow a tube of lip balm, perhaps, or snort a housefly. Amy Nicholson, WSJ, 24 Mar. 2022 The new discovery, currently known as Thiomargarita magnifica is longer than a housefly. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 15 Mar. 2022 Keck noted a housefly can go from egg to adult in about a week. René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 9 Dec. 2020 Just as Pence was discussing racial injustice and the police killing of Breonna Taylor, a housefly landed on his head. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 7 Oct. 2020 On May 13, 1984, as the Globe Star negotiated the Atlantic, the crew received a visit from a housefly. Margalit Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2020 Somehow, someway, my wife and I have worked from home part-time while corralling a 3-year-old who has the patience of a housefly. Pete Croatto, Good Housekeeping, 4 June 2020 On Adam’s computer screen, the ship now looked like a robotic housefly, its proboscis probing toward an enormous, crumbly piece of gray bread. Chris Wright, Wired, 8 June 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
housefly
noun
house·fly ˈhau̇s-ˌflī
plural houseflies
: a fly that is common in houses and may carry disease germs
Medical Definition
housefly
noun
house·fly -ˌflī
plural houseflies
: a cosmopolitan dipteran fly of the genus Musca (M. domestica) that is often found about human habitations and may act as a mechanical vector of diseases (as typhoid fever)
also : any of various flies of similar appearance or habitat