Definition of "vampire bat" []

• Any of various tropical American bats of the family Desmodontidae that bite mammals and birds to feed on their blood and that often carry diseases such as rabies. (noun)
• Any of various other bats, as those of the family Megadermatidae, erroneously believed to feed on blood. (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.