: a small venomous snake of Egypt usually held to be a cobra (Naja haje)
Examples of asp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
But this area of research could mean that one day, the asp caterpillar’s venom could bring not only pain but relief.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
When her husband, the Roman general Mark Antony, died in her arms in 30 BCE, Cleopatra took her own life soon after by allowing an asp to bite her by, according to popular belief.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 10 Nov. 2022
The supplement’s three most potent ingredients are D-aspartic acid (D-asp), fenugreek, and zinc.
—Dallas News, 18 May 2022
Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C., after Caesar Augustus (at that time still called Octavian) defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, and the Queen, according to a version given by Plutarch—and then, memorably, by Shakespeare—placed an asp on her breast and died.
—The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021
Cleopatra killed herself — by the bite of an asp, according to Plutarch.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2020
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Noun
Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.
—Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
But this area of research could mean that one day, the asp caterpillar’s venom could bring not only pain but relief.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
When her husband, the Roman general Mark Antony, died in her arms in 30 BCE, Cleopatra took her own life soon after by allowing an asp to bite her by, according to popular belief.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 10 Nov. 2022
The supplement’s three most potent ingredients are D-aspartic acid (D-asp), fenugreek, and zinc.
—Dallas News, 18 May 2022
Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C., after Caesar Augustus (at that time still called Octavian) defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, and the Queen, according to a version given by Plutarch—and then, memorably, by Shakespeare—placed an asp on her breast and died.
—The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021
Cleopatra killed herself — by the bite of an asp, according to Plutarch.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Asp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asp. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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