Definition of "midge" [midge]

• Any of various gnatlike flies of the family Chironomidae, found worldwide and frequently occurring in swarms near ponds and lakes. (noun)
• Any of various similar dipteran insects, such as the biting midges of the family Ceratopogonidae. (noun)
• A little person. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Midget is a diminutive: MIDGE+ET, where a midge is a small insect resembling a gnat."
• "I knew that a midge was a small, annoying insect that flew around your head."
• "We are told that Blue Tongue has been visited upon Britain as a result of global warning allowing a certain kind of midge to migrate Northwards through Europe, and high winds which then blew these midges across the North Sea."