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
More murder hornets found After officials destroyed the second Asian giant hornet nest of 2021, a third one was found in Washington state.
—Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2021
As Asian giant hornet nests go, this one is pretty pedestrian.
—Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020
The first Asian giant hornet was found in the state a year ago and the first was trapped in July.
—Fox News, 11 Nov. 2020
While most Asian giant hornet nests are in the ground, this one was in a tree.
—NBC News, 26 Oct. 2020
The first Asian giant hornet nest of 2021 was located in Washington state on August 19.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2021
Asian giant hornets are the world’s largest hornet and are not native to North America.
—Nicholas K. Geranios, chicagotribune.com, 27 Aug. 2021
This year’s first Asian giant hornet was found in Washington state’s Snohomish County on June 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.
—Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 June 2021
The Asian giant hornet was first detected in Washington state in December, and the first insect was trapped in July.
—NBC News, 26 Oct. 2020
Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2021
As Asian giant hornet nests go, this one is pretty pedestrian.
—Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020
The first Asian giant hornet was found in the state a year ago and the first was trapped in July.
—Fox News, 11 Nov. 2020
While most Asian giant hornet nests are in the ground, this one was in a tree.
—NBC News, 26 Oct. 2020
The first Asian giant hornet nest of 2021 was located in Washington state on August 19.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2021
Asian giant hornets are the world’s largest hornet and are not native to North America.
—Nicholas K. Geranios, chicagotribune.com, 27 Aug. 2021
This year’s first Asian giant hornet was found in Washington state’s Snohomish County on June 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.
—Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 June 2021
The Asian giant hornet was first detected in Washington state in December, and the first insect was trapped in July.
—NBC News, 26 Oct. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'giant hornet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 27 Apr. 2024.
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