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spider wasp

American  

noun

  1. any of certain wasps, especially of the family Pompilidae, that provision their nests with paralyzed spiders.

Etymology

Origin of spider wasp

First recorded in 1810–20

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.

The sibling, let’s call him Brother, was taken captive by a tarantula hawk, a massive spider wasp that grows to two inches long.

From Scientific American • Sep. 29, 2023

In "Mammas," Rossellini dresses as a mother spider, wasp, hamster, toad, cuckoo, dunnock, oil beetle, piping plover and cichlid fish to show how each brings her young into the world.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2013

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.