wasp
any of numerous social or solitary hymenopterous insects of the Vespidae, Sphecidae, and allied families, generally having a long, slender body and narrow waist and, in the female, a stinger.
a person who is snappish or petulant.
Origin of wasp
1Other words from wasp
- wasplike, adjective
Words Nearby wasp
Other definitions for WASP (2 of 3)
a member of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots, an organization disbanded in 1944.
Other definitions for WASP (3 of 3)
or Wasp
a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
a member of the privileged, established white upper middle class in the U.S.
Origin of WASP
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wasp in a sentence
They were called La Red Avispa (The wasp Network) and claim to have successfully foiled a number of threats against the island.
Of Cuban Spies, a Baby, and a Filmmaker: The Strange Tale of the Cuban Five | Nina Strochlic | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI was like, “In what world do I look like I would play the wasp-y wife?”
Eliza Coupe Finds Her ‘Happy Ending’ With ‘Benched’ | Kevin Fallon | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe later learn that the model, who is the heroine, is a Connecticut wasp disappointed in her arrival in the big city.
Punks, UFOs, and Heroin: How ‘Liquid Sky’ Became a Cult Movie | Daniel Genis | June 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn his memoir, Belfort describes Danny Porush (the real Azoff) as a Jewish Long Islander with wasp pretensions.
Finally! ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Is Hollywood’s First 1990s Period Piece | Andrew Romano | December 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA wasp-y Smith alumna named Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) has a lesbian affair after college.
You’ve Gotta Binge on the New Netflix Series ‘Orange Is the New Black’ | Andrew Romano | July 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Soon after he had some lively service in the wasp, and captured a British privateer with the little sloop Sachem.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | VariousOf the 110 men on the Frolic there were not twenty alive and unhurt, while on the wasp only five were dead and five wounded.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | VariousThe game was up with the wasp and her prize, for the new ship was the Poictiers, a great seventy-four ship-of-the-line.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | VariousThe honey in this pot was once a wasp's nest, but since being transformed it has become sweet and delicious.
The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank BaumThe first thing the wasp found at sea was a mighty gale of wind, that blew "great guns" for two days.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various
British Dictionary definitions for wasp (1 of 2)
/ (wɒsp) /
any social hymenopterous insect of the family Vespidae, esp Vespula vulgaris (common wasp), typically having a black-and-yellow body and an ovipositor specialized for stinging: See also potter wasp, hornet Related adjective: vespine
any of various solitary hymenopterans, such as the digger wasp and gall wasp
Origin of wasp
1Derived forms of wasp
- wasplike, adjective
- waspy, adjective
- waspily, adverb
- waspiness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Wasp (2 of 2)
WASP
/ (wɒsp) /
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: a person descended from N European, usually Protestant stock, forming a group often considered the most dominant, privileged, and influential in American society
Derived forms of Wasp
- Waspy, adjective
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
Cultural definitions for WASP
An acronym for “white Anglo-Saxon Protestant” — a member of what many consider to be the most privileged and influential group in American society.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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