: a small venomous snake of Egypt usually held to be a cobra (Naja haje)
Examples of asp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Then, as legend holds, the queen let a poisonous asp bite her, choosing death with Antony over life under Octavian’s rule.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 16 Feb. 2026
Rather than allowing herself to be captured by the Romans, legend has it that Cleopatra let a poisonous asp bite her in Alexandria, according to the documentary.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.
—Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
In the palazzo, the principessa, who seemed too young and chic for this antique place, led me through the Fencing Room, the Music Room, the Red Room, the Green Room, the Conversation Room, and the Suicide Room—named for a painting of Cleopatra clutching her asp.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024
But this area of research could mean that one day, the asp caterpillar’s venom could bring not only pain but relief.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C., after Caesar Augustus (at that time still called Octavian) defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, and the Queen, according to a version given by Plutarch—and then, memorably, by Shakespeare—placed an asp on her breast and died.
—The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021
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Noun
The following year Antony died by suicide, and Cleopatra took her own life soon after, reportedly dying from an asp’s poison.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Then, as legend holds, the queen let a poisonous asp bite her, choosing death with Antony over life under Octavian’s rule.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 16 Feb. 2026
Rather than allowing herself to be captured by the Romans, legend has it that Cleopatra let a poisonous asp bite her in Alexandria, according to the documentary.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.
—Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
In the palazzo, the principessa, who seemed too young and chic for this antique place, led me through the Fencing Room, the Music Room, the Red Room, the Green Room, the Conversation Room, and the Suicide Room—named for a painting of Cleopatra clutching her asp.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024
But this area of research could mean that one day, the asp caterpillar’s venom could bring not only pain but relief.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C., after Caesar Augustus (at that time still called Octavian) defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, and the Queen, according to a version given by Plutarch—and then, memorably, by Shakespeare—placed an asp on her breast and died.
—The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Asp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asp. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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