yellow jacket
Americannoun
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any of several paper wasps of the family Vespidae, having black and bright yellow bands.
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Slang. a yellow capsule of phenobarbital.
noun
Etymology
Origin of yellow jacket
An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We are being told that the rescue mission will be completed soon but it has been five days," Negi, 18, who wore a torn yellow jacket, told Reuters on Thursday.
From Reuters • Nov. 16, 2023
Q: When I was a kid, I was stung by a yellow jacket on a camping trip.
From Seattle Times • May 24, 2023
Two males — one wearing a white face mask and a yellow jacket and another in a blue or black hoodie — were confronted by the armed security guard inside the store.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2022
Iryna - a 48-year-old in a bright yellow jacket - kept watch nervously over her 14-year-old daughter Yelizeveta - who seemed to sink into her hoodie.
From BBC • Sep. 26, 2022
“Kirby got stung by a yellow jacket, and Miller’s out with a sinus infection. Looks like you’ll be riding solo.”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
