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

The judges said when they directed the temple officials to produce complete files and records relating to the repair of the idols, "little did we realise, that we were in fact opening a hornet's nest".

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

The first buzz is soft, like that of a hornet’s nest.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2023

David Guillemard, a striker who has worked at the Total refinery for 22 years, said the back-to-work order had kicked a hornet’s nest.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022

Howard Fuller’s use of the phrase Black Power—against this backdrop of contention and violence—stirred a hornet’s nest in both the white and black communities.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson