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Synonyms

hornet

American  
[hawr-nit] / ˈhɔr nɪt /

noun

  1. any large, stinging paper wasp of the family Vespidae, as Vespa crabro giant hornet, introduced into the U.S. from Europe, or Vespula maculata bald-faced hornet, or white-faced hornet, of North America.

hornet British  
/ ˈhɔːnɪt /

noun

  1. any of various large social wasps of the family Vespidae, esp Vespa crabro of Europe, that can inflict a severe sting

  2. a strongly unfavourable reaction (often in the phrase stir up a hornet's nest )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
hornet Idioms  

  1. see mad as a hornet; stir up a hornet's nest.

Etymology

Origin of hornet

First recorded before 900; Middle English harnete, Old English hyrnet(u); cognate with Old High German hornaz (becoming German Horniss ); akin to horn

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A new online map has been launched for islanders to report Asian hornet sightings in Jersey.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

As reported in the journal Ecosphere, Sugiura found clear evidence that adult pond frogs actively launched attacks on workers of all three hornet species.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025

To investigate whether pond frogs evade or tolerate these potentially lethal stings, Sugiura presented individual adult frogs with workers of three hornet species, Vespa simillima, V. analis, and V. mandarinia, in controlled laboratory trials.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025

Asian hornet nests are often found in hedges or near to the ground.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

There was the snarl of an engine somewhere, not the heavy thump of a zeppelin but something higher like the drone of a hornet It drifted in and out of hearing.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.