yellow jacket

noun \ ˈye-lō-ˌja-kət , ˈye-lə- \

variants: or less commonly yellowjacket

Updated on: 4 Apr 2018

Definition of yellow jacket

1 : any of various small yellow-marked vespid wasps (especially genus Vespula) that commonly nest in the ground and can sting repeatedly and painfully

2 slang : pentobarbital especially in a yellow capsule

See yellow jacket defined for English-language learners

See yellow jacket defined for kids

Recent Examples of yellow jacket from the Web

In the wild, the sting of a honeybee, rather than that of the more fierce yellow jacket, is more likely to lead to anaphylaxis, Casale said.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Live bee sting acupuncture is deadly for Madrid woman," 22 Mar. 2018
Police said the suspect was described as a white male, about 10 years old with brown hair and was wearing a red and yellow jacket.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Police: Boy as young as 10 tried to rob woman at gunpoint near UWM campus," 1 Jan. 2018
To add insult to injury, the sugary substance weeping from those wounds attracts other noxious insects, including yellow jackets.

— steven strogatz, The New Yorker, "When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home," 8 Aug. 2011
An Instagram photo shows her posing on the deck in a fuzzy yellow jacket, checkered pants, black boots, and ski goggles.

— suzannah weiss, Teen Vogue, "Ariana Grande and Mac Miller Vacation in Colorado," 23 Dec. 2017
More: Improved Delta app gives step-by-step directions through CVG Public safety assistants wearing yellow jackets or vests are scattered around the airport to help guide travelers to their gate faster.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Everything you need to know about getting around CVG this holiday season," 20 Dec. 2017
Hellcats lined up for roll call in a rainbow of eye-popping color: yellow jacket, octane red, go mango.

— robert duffer, Detroit Free Press, "Taming a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat at track safety school," 3 Sep. 2017
Passersby continued to hustle on their way as a brigade of a few dozen middle-aged men and women in yellow jackets struggled to herd people into nearby subway stations.

— eun-young jeong, WSJ, "South Koreans Know the Drill on Civil Defense—and They Don’t Care," 23 Aug. 2017
From Miller’s racing awards and trophies to a vibrant, yellow jacket and other memorabilia, the collection holds items that offer an exclusive look at the turbulent and sometimes dangerous path these racers pioneered.

— jesse a. sparks, Smithsonian, "How One Black Family Drove an Auto Racing Association to the Winner’s Circle," 7 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'yellow jacket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of yellow jacket

1796

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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YELLOW JACKET Defined for English Language Learners

yellow jacket

noun

Definition of yellow jacket for English Language Learners

: a small flying insect that has yellow marks on its body and that can sting you

YELLOW JACKET Defined for Kids

yellow jacket

noun

Definition of yellow jacket for Students

: a small wasp with yellow markings that usually nests in colonies in the ground and can sting repeatedly and painfully

Medical Dictionary

yellow jacket

noun

medical Definition of yellow jacket

1 : any of various yellow-marked social wasps (especially genus Vespula of the family Vespidae) that usually nest in the ground, aggressively defend their nests, and can sting repeatedly and painfully

2 slang : pentobarbital especially in a yellow capsule —usually used in plural

Illustration of yellow jacket

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Spanish Central: Translation of yellow jacket Nglish: Translation of yellow jacket for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yellow jacket

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yellow jacket

Definition of yellow jacket

Recent Examples of yellow jacket from the Web

First Known Use of yellow jacket

YELLOW JACKET Defined for English Language Learners

yellow jacket

Definition of yellow jacket for English Language Learners

YELLOW JACKET Defined for Kids

yellow jacket

Definition of yellow jacket for Students

Medical Dictionary

yellow jacket

medical Definition of yellow jacket

Illustration of yellow jacket

Learn More about yellow jacket

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yellow jacket

Definition of yellow jacket

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First Known Use of yellow jacket

YELLOW JACKET Defined for English Language Learners

yellow jacket

Definition of yellow jacket for English Language Learners

YELLOW JACKET Defined for Kids

yellow jacket

Definition of yellow jacket for Students

Medical Dictionary

yellow jacket

medical Definition of yellow jacket

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