yellow jacket

noun

plural yellow jackets

1

or yellowjacket

ˈye-lō-ˌja-kət 

ˈye-lə-

plural yellowjackets : any of various small vespid wasps (genus Vespula and Dolichovespula) typically with abdomens marked with yellow and black that build nests in the ground or less commonly in aerial locations (such as the eaves of buildings), that usually reach a length of up to .5 inches (1.3 centimeters), and that can sting repeatedly and painfully

2

slang : pentobarbital especially in a yellow capsule

—usually used in plural

Examples of yellow jacket in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hundreds of Yoon’s supporters and critics held competing protests near the residence — one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment — as thousands of police officers in yellow jackets closely monitored the situation. —Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025

Journalists, photographers and dozens of Fiesta Bowl committee members in yellow jackets swarmed the room, firing off questions as serious as how certain matchups will play out in the game to less important things — like how crazy all of this seems to an Australian. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Jan. 2025

Pitt, on the other hand, went for an all-yellow look, wearing a yellow jacket over a white shirt, along with flared yellow trousers and black sunglasses. —Lori A Bashian Fox News, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2024

In a scene out of biblical end-times, yellow jackets swarmed in the days after the storm — displaced after falling trees and floodwaters destroyed their nests. —Kim Dinan, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

yellow jacket

noun

: any of various small social wasps with yellow markings that commonly nest in the ground and can sting repeatedly and painfully

Medical Definition

yellow jacket

noun

1

or yellowjacket

ˈyel-ō-ˌjak-ət 

: any of various small, social wasps (genus Vespula and Dolichovespula of the family Vespidae) typically with abdomens marked with yellow and black that build nests in the ground or less commonly in aerial locations (as the eaves of buildings), that aggressively defend their nests, and that can sting repeatedly and painfully

2

slang : pentobarbital especially in a yellow capsule

—usually used in plural