How to Use gadfly in a Sentence

gadfly

noun
  • Maybe the local gadflies would call you up, give you a tip here or there.
    — Eric Johnson, Recode, 6 Sep. 2018
  • There not just going to go after some gadfly, there has to be a there there.
    — Eric Johnson, Recode, 26 Aug. 2018
  • There’s kind of schmoozing and being known and being a gadfly.
    — Eric Johnson, Recode, 26 Aug. 2018
  • Trantalis owes much to the three gadflies who challenged him, even though none had a chance of defeating him.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2024
  • And his easy manner belies a stubborn streak that his neighbors see as the mark of a dangerous gadfly.
    — Written By Declan Walsh; Photographs By Tomas Munita, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2018
  • Hameroff is best known for serving as a kind of gadfly in the fields of neuroscience and philosophy.
    — Steve Volk, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2018
  • There is the classical idea of the poet as the gadfly, who lives outside society.
    — Doreen St. Félix, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2021
  • That outcome would amount to a surprising end to what had been a rocket-ship campaign for the 42-year-old gadfly.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2026
  • If Kaepernick really was a harmless, crazy, dumb gadfly, the execs wouldn’t care.
    — Angela Denker, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2017
  • Other readers, in a suitably gadfly mode, may disagree with this criticism.
    — Martha Bayles, WSJ, 24 June 2022
  • Many brushed him off as an obstinate gadfly, but his wife and son stayed home, saving them from outings that would soon sicken relatives.
    — Dake Kang, Star Tribune, 23 Jan. 2021
  • Io and Echo were robbed of their speech, one cursed to be a cow tormented by a gadfly, and the other cursed to repeat the speech of others.
    — Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, 19 Dec. 2017
  • Well, Ishmael, in making that statement, fulfills his obligation as a satirist, as a gadfly, as the court jester.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2022
  • The weather was bad, the gadflies were annoying and the food consisted almost entirely of oatcakes and eggs.
    — Anna Russell, WSJ, 13 July 2017
  • McLeod, a right-wing gadfly who has twice run for San Antonio mayor, was looking to provoke.
    — Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Jan. 2022
  • The gadfly winger scored only 90 goals in his NHL career, tying him for No.
    — Jack Dickey, SI.com, 24 Oct. 2017
  • Now, in a twist that would promote the gadfly to the top of the food chain, he is poised to become the district attorney of Philadelphia.
    — Alan Feuer, New York Times, 17 June 2017
  • Any reporter or gadfly worth their salt knew this was actually just a time for the board to call a department head onto the carpet and scream at them behind closed doors.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2023
  • Rats also gobble chicks of the gadfly petrels that nest on the island, taking out 95 percent of chicks less than a week after hatching.
    — Michael Brooke, National Geographic, 19 Apr. 2016
  • When Zeus took a liking to princess Io, Hera turned her into a heifer, then sent a gadfly – like a horse fly – to sting her constantly.
    — Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Playing the role of the Socratic gadfly in the foundations of physics is sometimes important.
    — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2019
  • The Legislature was coming after the gadflies like Gilbert.
    — Tony Schick, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2025
  • As horse and rider approached the Olympian gates, Zeus sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus, who bolted and threw his rider.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Nov. 2025
  • Margaret, who views him with both affection and worry; and Burke’s boho gadfly, who takes Williams’ meds off his hands, then takes him out for a night on the town.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Dec. 2022
  • Lowe is a longtime Big Tech gadfly who pushed for antitrust action against Google for years in his previous role at Yelp.
    — Ashley Gold, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Renewable energy advocates treat activists like Gilbert as relentless gadflies who need to be stopped for the good of the planet.
    — Tony Schick, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2025
  • However, activists and gadflies that may own a single share of stock are at the ready, seeking to be the center of attention and perhaps even disrupting the meeting.
    — Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 18 Jan. 2024
  • The gadfly of ancient Athens, patron saint of Western philosophy, and its first martyr has much to teach about modern life and business.
    — Eric Weiner, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2020
  • In Troy, a newcomer – an outspoken gadfly in city meetings – narrowly lost his bid for a City Council seat.
    — Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 7 Aug. 2024
  • This Walsh had already made a name as a Tea Party gadfly and was elected to Congress in 2010.
    — Dave Holmes, Esquire, 21 Sep. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gadfly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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