What does "beehive" mean?
A sheltered place where bees, usually honey bees (genus Apis), live.; Such a home prepared by the bees themselves, in which some species of honey bees live and raise their young.
Beehive
/ˈbiːhaɪv/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sheltered place where bees, usually honey bees (genus Apis), live.; Such a home prepared by the bees themselves, in which some species of honey bees live and raise their young.
- Grammar: beehive is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: hive, apiary, bee colony, black hole.
- Useful contrasts: solitary bee, wild nest.
- Usage evidence: In each beehive there can only be one queen.
How to use "beehive"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "beehive" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "beehive" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "beehive" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "beehive" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "beehive" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hive" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "beehive", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sheltered place where bees, usually honey bees (genus Apis), live.; Such a home prepared by the bees themselves, in which some species of honey bees live and raise their young.
- 2 A participant aged either twelve or thirteen years old in the Young Women organization of the LDS Church. Mormonism
- 3 a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees wordnet
- 4 A sheltered place where bees, usually honey bees (genus Apis), live.; A man-made structure in which honey bees are kept so that humans can harvest their honey.
- 5 any workplace where people are very busy wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Any place full of activity, or in which people are very busy. figuratively
- 7 a hairdo resembling a beehive wordnet
- 8 A women's hairstyle, popular in the 1960s, in which long hair is styled into a hive-shaped form on top of the head and usually held in place with lacquer.
- 9 a structure that provides a natural habitation for bees; as in a hollow tree wordnet
- 10 A particular style of hat.
"A very neat old woman, still in her good outdoor coat and best beehive hat, was sitting at a polished mahogany table on whose surface there were several scored scratches so deep that a triangular piece of the veneer had come cleanly away,[…]."
- 11 A type of anti-personnel ammunition round containing flechettes, and characterised by the buzzing sound made as they fly through the air.
"By the time it was over, Stone had been blown thirty feet through the air by a beehive round as he was running across a field, knocked out by the concussion of the blast."
- 12 Alternative form of Beehive. New-Zealand, alt-of, alternative, nonstandard
"Brian Small said that the Minister could not 'hide in the beehive any longer'"
- 13 In Conway's Game of Life, a particular still life pattern with a rounded appearance.
"By the way, what happens to a beehive which is under attack by one or two gliders such as pictured:"
- 14 A diagram showing where balls have passed the batter, used in analysis.
Verb
- 1 To fill (a place) with busy activity. rare, transitive
"Quite naturally, if there are more ministers swarming the cabinet rooms and conference halls, then there will be a spate of civil servants beehiving the secretariat."
- 2 To style the hair in a hive-shaped or bouffant form. rare, transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 The executive wing of the New Zealand parliament buildings. New-Zealand, informal
- 2 New Zealand government. broadly
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
solitary beewild nest
Example
"In each beehive there can only be one queen."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "beehive"?
Common synonyms include: hive, apiary, bee colony, black hole, colony, hives.
How do you use "beehive" in a sentence?
In each beehive there can only be one queen.
How do you pronounce "beehive"?
Pronounced /ˈbiːhaɪv/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English beehyve, equivalent to bee + hive.
Etymology 2
From beehive.