little brown bat

noun

: a small widely distributed insectivorous North American bat (Myotis lucifugus) with brown fur

Examples of little brown bat 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.

In 2018, a study out of UW-Madison that analyzed bat poop found that little brown bats in Wisconsin were eating 17 different types of mosquitoes, including nine that carry West Nile virus. —

Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2024 For instance, little brown bats are currently considered a single species, though research has found five independent lineages within this species. —

Tanya Dewey, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2024 The scene is immediate and visceral, but this story is about another brown Alaskan mammal who spends its winter in torpor, albeit a much tinier one: the little brown bat, weighing in at 10 grams. —

Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024 This has previously been observed in little brown bats and noctule bats, but since Fasel et al. did not take a vaginal swab to test for the presence of sperm, this observation is inconclusive. —

Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for little brown bat

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of little brown bat was in 1842

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Little brown bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/little%20brown%20bat. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation