Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

yellow jacket

play
noun \ ˈye-lō-ˌja-kət , ˈye-lə- \
variants: or less commonly yellowjacket

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

Explore M-W

image536372841
Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!
alt-59c2cb9e9ef54
Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"
alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

First Known Use of yellow jacket

1796

YELLOW JACKET Defined for English Language Learners

yellow jacket

play
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

Learn More about yellow jacket

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up yellow jacket? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. otherwise "in other respects"

  2. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  3. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  4. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  5. allegory No spoilers!

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

yellow jacket

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game