hornet's nest

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.

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

They’re still no match for a guy who can wipe out a hornet’s nest with a stun gun.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2024

They were trying to locate and destroy a hornet's nest after a positive identification nearby.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2023

The trooper said he “didn’t really see a need to stir up the hornet’s nest for such a minor violation.”

From Seattle Times • May 5, 2023

“But instead of destroying the file, you raised a whole hornet’s nest of mess.”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste