giant hornet
noun
plural giant hornets
1
: european hornet
European hornets, also called giant hornets, can damage plants by stripping bark to build their paper nests.—
Forsyth County News (Cumming, Georgia)
Forsyth County News (Cumming, Georgia)2
: northern giant hornet
The giant hornet extends about 3.5 to 3.9 centimeters in length (1.4 to 1.5 inches), roughly the size of a human thumb, and it has a black tooth used for burrowing, according to an animal database at the University of Michigan. The queens are even bigger, with bodies that can grow longer than 5 centimeters (2 inches).—Madison Park et al.
Madison Park et al.Examples of giant hornet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moreover, giant hornets are known for their grisly methods for bee murder—unfortunate beekeepers have found their hives filled with bee carcasses, the heads ripped from their bodies.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
The hornets, typically 2 inches (5 cm) long, were first called Asian giant hornets, the Associated Press reports, citing the National Institutes of Health.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
The hornets, previously called Asian giant hornets, first showed up in British Columbia in August 2019, then in Washington state in December 2019.
—Melissa Santos, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
The organization also adopted the names Southern giant hornet as the name for a closely related species.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2024
Previously, one southern giant hornet queen was found at Vancouver Harbor, British Columbia, Canada in 2019.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
Researchers in Spain are scrambling to find the nest belonging to the first southern giant hornets found in Europe.
—Randi Richardson, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024
How did the southern giant hornet species end up in Europe?
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
Sanchez said that the detection of southern giant hornets in Spain indicates that more are likely on the way.
—Randi Richardson, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024
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Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
The hornets, typically 2 inches (5 cm) long, were first called Asian giant hornets, the Associated Press reports, citing the National Institutes of Health.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
The hornets, previously called Asian giant hornets, first showed up in British Columbia in August 2019, then in Washington state in December 2019.
—Melissa Santos, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
The organization also adopted the names Southern giant hornet as the name for a closely related species.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2024
Previously, one southern giant hornet queen was found at Vancouver Harbor, British Columbia, Canada in 2019.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
Researchers in Spain are scrambling to find the nest belonging to the first southern giant hornets found in Europe.
—Randi Richardson, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024
How did the southern giant hornet species end up in Europe?
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
Sanchez said that the detection of southern giant hornets in Spain indicates that more are likely on the way.
—Randi Richardson, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near giant hornet
Cite this Entry
“Giant hornet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giant%20hornet. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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