What does "maggot" mean?
A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipteran insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.
Maggot
/ˈmæɡət/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipteran insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.
- Grammar: maggot is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aberration, abnormality, alabaster, anomaly.
- Useful contrasts: adult, angel, hero.
- Usage evidence: Get your meat right into my office, you maggot.
How to use "maggot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "maggot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "maggot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "maggot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "maggot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "maggot" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aberration" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "maggot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipteran insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.
- 2 the larva of the housefly and blowfly commonly found in decaying organic matter wordnet
- 3 A worthless person. derogatory, slang
"Drop and give me fifty, maggot."
- 4 A whimsy or fancy. archaic, dialectal
"Are you not mad, my friend? What time o' th' moon is't? / Have not you maggots in your brain?"
- 5 A fan of the American metal band Slipknot. slang
"(We) We are the new diabolic (We) We are the bitter bucolic If I have to give my life, you can have it (We) We are the pulse of the maggots"
Verb
- 1 To rid (an animal) of maggots. transitive
"In the summer I had to get the sheep penned twice a day to maggot them and I needed a good dog."
Adjective
- 1 Alternative form of maggoted (“drunk; intoxicated”). Australia, alt-of, alternative, colloquial
Example
"Get your meat right into my office, you maggot."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "maggot"?
Common synonyms include: aberration, abnormality, alabaster, anomaly, apparition, arachnid.
How do you use "maggot" in a sentence?
Get your meat right into my office, you maggot.
How do you pronounce "maggot"?
Pronounced /ˈmæɡət/.
Etymology
From Middle English magot, magat, maked, probably a metathetic alteration of maddock, maðek (“worm", "maggot”), originally a diminutive form of a base represented by Old English maþa (Scots mathe), from Proto-West Germanic *maþō, from Proto-Germanic *maþô, from the Proto-Indo-European root *mat, which was used in insect names, equivalent to made + -ock. Near-cognates include Dutch made, German Made and Swedish mask, Icelandic maðkur (“worm, grub, maggot”). The use of maggot to mean a fanciful or whimsical thing derives from the folk belief that a whimsical or crotchety person had maggots in their brain.