digger wasp

American

noun

any of numerous solitary wasps of the family Sphecidae, which excavate nests in soil, wood, etc., and provision them with prey paralyzed by stinging.

digger wasp British

noun

any solitary wasp of the families Sphecidae and Pamphilidae that digs nest holes in the ground, rotten wood, or a hollow stem and stocks them with live insects for the larvae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of digger wasp

First recorded in 1840–50

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.

And field digger wasps are duped into trying to mate with the northern European fly orchid due to the flower's resemblance to a female wasp's beautiful back.

From National Geographic

Chesterton's method in writing it is that of the digger wasp.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023