wasp

IPA/wɒsp/
KK[wˈɑsp]IPA/wɑːsp/

wasp — noun

  • waspsingular
  • waspsplural

1. a narrow-bodied flying insect with black-and-yellow marks that can give a painfu

1.nounA2
Definition

a narrow-bodied flying insect with black-and-yellow marks that can give a painful sting.

Example

A wasp flew into the kitchen and landed on the open jam jar.

Elise got stung by a wasp while picking plums in the garden.

passive: get stung by a wasp

Common collocations
  • wasp sting
  • wasp nest
  • swat a wasp
  • wasp waist
Synonyms
  • hornet

    a larger kind of wasp that often looks heavier and more aggressive

Grammar Patterns

a/the wasp

wasp + verb

get stung by a wasp

Usage Note

People often confuse wasps with bees. Wasps usually have a slimmer body and can sting more than once.

Common Mistakes

A bee stung me on the arm' (when it was a wasp).
A wasp stung me on the arm.
Use 'wasp' for the slimmer stinging insect with a smooth body.

Word family

  • waspish
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A wasp is usually smoother and slimmer than a bee, and learners often meet it in everyday situations such as picnics, gardens, or roof spaces. A bee is better known for making honey and carrying pollen, while a wasp is more often linked with painful stings and nests near houses. A hornet is a larger type of wasp, so the word sounds stronger and can suggest more danger. Yellow jacket is an American term for certain aggressive yellow-and-black wasps. You might say, 'A wasp kept circling our drinks,' but 'A bee landed on the flowers' points to pollination rather than a pest at the table.

wasp ↗bee ↗hornet ↗yellow jacket

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

The word comes from Old English wæsp, from an older Germanic family of words for this insect. The form changed over time to the modern spelling wasp, but it has referred to the same stinging insect for many centuries.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun (2)