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flypaper
noun
fly·pa·per
ˈflī-ˌpā-pər
: paper coated with a sticky often poisonous substance for killing flies
Examples of flypaper in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1923, according to the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper and other accounts, one patient got into a disagreement with a younger guard who taunted him and covered his mouth with sticky flypaper.
—Donna M. Owens, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2024
For liberals, however, the idea is flypaper for falsehoods.
—Rhoda Feng, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2023
Lesser known than other carnivorous plants, the butterwort is the flypaper of the carnivorous plant world.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2021
Unsuspecting proteins that typically interact with the bait are immobilized as well; the rest of the protein pool is flushed away, leaving a set of associated proteins on the surface, like flies on flypaper.
—Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2015
Like flypaper, these sticky plants ensnare many of the tiny creatures that are unfortunate enough to land there.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2015
Clouds of flies were so thick that dead ones dropped off flypaper strips hanging over tables in the dining hall.
—Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, 26 Oct. 2022
In a dank home in the village of Malotaranivka on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, speckled twists of flypaper hung from the living room ceiling.
—Cara Anna, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2022
With flypaper-like hands in help defense and 44% accuracy on catch-and-shoot three-pointers, Covington became one of their top targets to retain.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flypaper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1846, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to flypaper
Dictionary Entries Near flypaper
Cite this Entry
“Flypaper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flypaper. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
flypaper
noun
fly·pa·per
-ˌpā-pər
: paper coated with a sticky often poisonous substance for killing flies
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