: any of numerous social or solitary winged hymenopterous insects (especially families Sphecidae and Vespidae) that usually have a slender smooth body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk, well-developed wings, biting mouthparts, and in the females and workers an often formidable sting, and that are largely carnivorous and often provision their nests with insects or spiders killed or paralyzed by stinging for their larvae to feed on compare bee
2
: any of various hymenopterous insects (such as a chalcid or ichneumon wasp) other than wasps with larvae that are parasitic on other arthropods
Noun (2)
Most of the members of the club are wealthy WASPs.
The college had been known as a bastion of WASP privilege.
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Noun
About 75% of plant species in North America require an insect pollinator – bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, birds and bats.—Courtney McGinnis, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025 The clock is ticking, however, as the bone collector is extremely rare and in danger of extinction, due to the large number of invasive species—especially non-native ants and parasitic wasps—that have found their way to Hawaii.—ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2025 Cicadas aren't equipped to sting like bees or wasps.—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025 The chick once again flicked its head; the wasp quickly flew away, as if heeding a warning.—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wasp
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English waspe, from Old English wæps, wæsp; akin to Old High German wafsa wasp, Latin vespa wasp
Noun (2)
white Anglo-Saxon Protestant
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
: any of numerous winged insects related to the bees and ants that have a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk and that in females and workers are usually capable of giving a very painful sting
WASP
2 of 2noun
variants or Wasp
: an American of northern European and Protestant background—sometimes used disparagingly
: any of numerous social or solitary winged insects (especially families Sphecidae and Vespidae) of the order Hymenoptera that usually have a slender smooth body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk, well-developed wings, biting mouthparts, and in the females and workers an often formidable sting
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