Meaning & use
crane fly
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A thin, long-legged flying insect that looks like a large mosquito but does not bite people.
Grammar: Countable: one crane fly, two crane flies — note the plural changes -y to -ies.
Patterns
- a crane fly lands on something
- crane flies around a light
A crane fly bumped against the kitchen window last night.
In late summer the lawn is full of crane flies.
She thought the crane fly was a giant mosquito, but it cannot sting.
nouncountabletechnical
The larva of this insect, a gray worm that lives in soil and damages grass roots.
Grammar: Usually called leatherjackets in this stage; crane fly is also used for the whole life cycle.
Patterns
- crane fly larvae damage something
Crane fly larvae feed on the roots of the grass.
Gardeners treat the soil when crane fly larvae are common.
Word forms
| plural | crane flies |
|---|
Common combinations
- crane fly larvae
- Crane fly larvae can ruin a healthy lawn.
- a swarm of crane flies
- A swarm of crane flies rose from the field at dusk.
- crane flies around the light
- Crane flies gathered around the porch light.
- harmless crane fly
- It is only a harmless crane fly, so do not worry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- daddy longlegs
- Informal British name for the same insect; in American English this name usually means a different long-legged creature, a harvestman.
- mosquito hawk
- A regional American name for the crane fly, though it does not actually hunt mosquitoes.
Word family
- cranefly noun
- A common one-word spelling of the same insect.
Commonly confused: crane fly or mosquito? crane fly or mayfly?
crane fly vs mosquito
A mosquito is small and bites, while a crane fly is larger, has very long legs, and cannot bite.
crane fly vs mayfly
A mayfly is a different insect with upright wings that lives only briefly as an adult; crane flies live longer and look like giant mosquitoes.
Practice
Which sentence uses the word correctly?
Choose one answer.
A crane fly is a long-legged insect that rests on surfaces and does not bite, so option C fits. Option An is wrong because crane flies cannot bite, and B and D describe the wrong kind of animal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crane fly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.