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Showing results for hornet's nest. Search instead for hornet nest.
Definitions

hornet's nest

NOUN
trouble; hazard
Synonyms
STRONGEST
commotion difficulty hazard trouble
STRONG
difficult situation unpleasant situation
WEAK
botheration can of worms complication dilemma headache hitch hot water issue mess obstacle pickle point at issue predicament quandary scrape
hornets' nest
NOUN
problem
Synonyms
WEAK
botheration box can of worms complication count crunch dilemma disagreement dispute disputed point doubt headache hitch hot water issue mess obstacle pickle point at issue predicament quandary question scrape squeeze tr

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.

Shadi lives in Melbourne, in Australia, but her parents' home is in a neighbourhood of Tehran known as "the hornet's nest".

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Curiously, I never really got angry at the North Koreans, on the assumption that if you kick the hornet’s nest and get stung, you can’t really blame the hornets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

“It would be like kicking the hornet’s nest for the court to get into the merits of this,” Gerhardt said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2023

Scott Adams sat for his regular YouTube show last month with a plan to stir a hornet’s nest.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2023

But it seemed we were going undercover right into the hornet’s nest itself.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.