From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishparasitepar‧a‧site /ˈpærəsaɪt/ noun [countable] 1 HBAHBPa plant or animal that lives on or in another plant or animal and gets food from it2 LAZYASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO something informal a lazy person who does not work but depends on other people – used to show disapproval
Examples from the Corpus
parasite• The well developed buccal capsule of the adult parasite is prominent as is the bursa of the male.• They tend to regard people on welfare as parasites.• Most government employees had become parasites, expecting to retain their positions through friendship or political favor.• It will probably resist extermination, however, since, unlike its parasite, it frequents shallow water.• You shouldn't feel sorry for these people - they're just parasites.• The end product of such a course of evolution is an obligate parasite that is inextricably linked to a particular host.• Screening for the parasite should be part of the investigative procedures in children with chronic diarrhoea.• The benefit for the gatherers - the parasites of the system- is self evident.• The parasites that were spread in this way had never before been considered sexually transmitted.Origin parasite (1500-1600) Latin Greek parasitos, from para- ( → PARA-) + sitos “grain, food” 