yellow jacket

noun

plural yellow jackets

1

or yellowjacket

ˈye-lō-ˌja-kət   

ˈye-lə-

plural yellowjackets : any of various small vespid wasps (genus Vespula and Dolichovespula) typically with abdomens marked with yellow and black that build nests in the ground or less commonly in aerial locations (such as the eaves of buildings), that usually reach a length of up to .5 inches (1.3 centimeters), and that can sting repeatedly and painfully

2

slang : pentobarbital especially in a yellow capsule

—usually used in plural

Examples of yellow jacket in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Workers in luminous yellow jackets sat on bare concrete slabs during games, occasionally fetching footballs that flew through the uprights and bounced around. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026

Too many carcasses allow the yellow jackets to escape rather than drown. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 7 Mar. 2026

His girlfriend also told officers that the yellow jacket the gunman is wearing in the surveillance footage matches the one Burkes was issued by his employer. —Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026

Dixon, who was wearing a bright yellow jacket, drove away while the officer tried to stop him. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for yellow jacket

• bracket
• packet
• racket
• racquet
• straitjacket

Kids Definition

yellow jacket

noun

: any of various small social wasps with yellow markings that commonly nest in the ground and can sting repeatedly and painfully

Medical Definition

yellow jacket

noun

1

or yellowjacket

ˈyel-ō-ˌjak-ət 

: any of various small, social wasps (genus Vespula and Dolichovespula of the family Vespidae) typically with abdomens marked with yellow and black that build nests in the ground or less commonly in aerial locations (as the eaves of buildings), that aggressively defend their nests, and that can sting repeatedly and painfully

2

slang : pentobarbital especially in a yellow capsule

—usually used in plural