What does "wasp" mean?
Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
Wasp
/wɒsp/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
- Grammar: wasp is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: american indian, amerind, australian aborigine, bee.
- Useful contrasts: bee, bees, bumblebee.
- Usage evidence: I got a nasty sting from a wasp.
How to use "wasp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wasp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wasp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wasp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wasp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wasp" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "american indian" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wasp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of WASP (“white Anglo-Saxon Protestant”). alt-of
"The show went through clothes to suit the lifestyle of a wealthy wasp, an American archetype that is now synonymous with the brand."
- 3 Acronym of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, a member of the supposed ruling class of America. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
"Bill got to college only by dint of support from a female relative and heiress (a useful WASP resource) and by scholarships, then a symbol of WASP entitlement."
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of WASP. alt-of
"Purists like to confine Wasps to descendants of the British Isles; less exacting analysts are willing to throw in Scandinavians, Netherlanders and Germans. At the narrowest, Wasps form a select band of well-heeled, well-descended members of the Eastern Establishment; at the widest, they include Okies and Snopeses, "Holy Rollers" and hillbillies."
- 5 social or solitary hymenopterans typically having a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk and having a formidable sting wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).
- 7 Initialism of Women Airforce Service Pilots. abbreviation, alt-of, historical, initialism
- 8 a white person of Anglo-Saxon ancestry who belongs to a Protestant denomination wordnet
- 9 Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).; Any of the members of the family Vespidae.
- 10 A person who behaves in an angry or insolent way, hence waspishly.
Verb
- 1 To move like a wasp; to buzz.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I got a nasty sting from a wasp."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wasp"?
Common synonyms include: american indian, amerind, australian aborigine, bee, black, black man.
How do you use "wasp" in a sentence?
I got a nasty sting from a wasp.
How do you pronounce "wasp"?
Pronounced /wɒsp/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ Proto-Germanic *wapsō Proto-West Germanic *wapsu Old English wæps Middle English wasp English wasp Inherited from Middle English wasp, waspe, waps, from Old English wæsp, wæps, from Proto-West Germanic *wapsu, from Proto-Germanic *wapsō, from Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ (“wasp”), from *webʰ- (“to weave”), referring to the insect's woven nests. Compare Dutch wesp, German Wespe, Danish hveps. Metathesis of /s/ and /p/ was both a process of some generality within English (compare grasp from Middle English grapsen, and—affecting other plosives—ascian ~ acsian (“to ask”)) and common in the reflexes of *wóps-eh₂ (“wasp”) in particular, as the aforementioned Germanic cognates (and non-Germanic cognates like Latin vespa) evince.