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
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
There are similar concerns over populations of tree-munching ash borers and the invasive Asian giant hornet, a potential threat to honeybee populations across Europe and North America.
—Jules Howard, TIME, 4 Sep. 2024
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
There are similar concerns over populations of tree-munching ash borers and the invasive Asian giant hornet, a potential threat to honeybee populations across Europe and North America.
—Jules Howard, TIME, 4 Sep. 2024
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
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 18 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share