lone star tick

noun

: an ixodid tick (Amblyomma americanum) of the southern, central, and eastern U.S. that attacks mammals and birds, is a vector of several diseases (such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis), and in which the adult female has a single white spot on the back

Examples of lone star tick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Suffolk County officials are also monitoring the spread of the lone star tick, which has continued expanding across the region. — CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

Once confined to the Southeast, lone star ticks spread from Maine to Oklahoma in recent years as the climate warmed and as a decline in hunting led to an explosive growth in the number of whitetail deer, where lone stars find mates and breed. — Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Adult female lone star ticks have a single white dot on their backs. — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026

Unlike the Bourbon virus, which doesn’t respond to antibiotics, Lyme disease is caused by bacteria spread by lone star ticks. — Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lone star tick

• andesitic
• anthelmintic
• dizygotic
• impolitic
• lymphocytic
• martensitic
• phagocytic
• pharisaic
• realpolitik
• rhyolitic
• visigothic
• actinic

Medical Definition

lone star tick

noun

ˈlōn-ˈstär- 

: an ixodid tick of the genus Amblyomma (A. americanum) of the southern, central, and eastern United States that attacks mammals and birds, is a vector of several diseases (as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis), and in which the adult female has a single white spot on the back