What does "queen" mean?
The wife, consort, or widow of a king.
Queen
/kwiːn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The wife, consort, or widow of a king.
- Grammar: queen is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: female monarch, ace, ant, army ant.
- Useful contrasts: swedish konung, abdicate, bee.
- Usage evidence: A republic is a nation whose head is not a king or queen, but a president.
How to use "queen"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "queen" 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 "queen" 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 "queen" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "queen" 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 "queen" 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 "female monarch" 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 "queen", 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 The wife, consort, or widow of a king.
"The divorced king was looking for a new queen."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of queen (“consort or widow of a king”). alt-of
- 3 female cat wordnet
- 4 A female monarch.
"But our mercifull Queene Elizabeth hath not burned the popiſh prieſtes on the alters where they committed idolatrie in ſaying of Maſſe, and worſhipped a piece of breade for the bodie of Chriſte (which ſhee might haue done if ſhee would) and yet you count not her for a godly and mercifull Queene."
- 5 Alternative letter-case form of queen (“female monarch”). alt-of
Show 32 more definitions
- 6 the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs wordnet
- 7 A woman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.; The Virgin Mary (especially in formulations such as Queen of Heaven, Queen of Glory).
"[…] and yet I will not ſay but amongſt duſt there is Pearle found, and in hard rockes Dyamonds of great value, and ſo amongſt many women there are ſome good, as that gracious and glorious Queene of all woman kinde the Virgin Mary the mother of al bliſſe, what wun her honour, but an humble minde and her paines and loue vnto our Sauiour Chriſt."
- 8 A title used before the personal name of a queen.
"Queen Elizabeth II"
- 9 an especially large mole rat and the only member of a colony of naked mole rats to bear offspring which are sired by only a few males wordnet
- 10 A woman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.; An excellent woman.
"Always look after that girl, doc. She's a queen!"
- 11 radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter Q.
- 12 (chess) the most powerful piece wordnet
- 13 A woman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.; A woman pre-eminent in a particular group or field.
"But now I was the Lord / Of this faire manſion,maſter of my ſeruants, / Queene ore my ſelfe : and euen now,but now."
- 14 one of four face cards in a deck bearing a picture of a queen wordnet
- 15 A woman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.; An attractive woman; a female partner in a romantic relationship. slang
"Know you the town is full of folks? Know you the shows are full of queens? That every mail is full of jokes Born of the nation's brightest beans?"
- 16 offensive term for a homosexual man wordnet
- 17 A woman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.; A girl or woman chosen to preside in an honorary or ceremonial manner over a specified festivity or occasion, as May Queen, Homecoming Queen, prom queen, pearly queen.
"My mother was queen of the St. Patrick's Day parade when she was 19."
- 18 a female sovereign ruler wordnet
- 19 Something regarded as the greatest of its kind or as having pre-eminence or power comparable to that of a queen over a given area.
"Thare saw I May, of myrthfull monethis quene."
- 20 the wife or widow of a king wordnet
- 21 Referring to one of several items used in tabletop games:; A chess piece that, under contemporary rules, is the most powerful, able to move any number of spaces horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
"For this cauſe that when he [the pawn] can procede so well in warre, as to arriue at the laſte rancke of hys enemies, he is choſen and made the beſt piece of the playe, to wit, he is the Quene."
- 22 something personified as a woman who is considered the best or most important of her kind wordnet
- 23 Referring to one of several items used in tabletop games:; A playing card with a depiction of a queen on it, generally ranking next below the king and above the jack in a given suit.
"There is 5. trumps beside the Queene, yᵉ hindmost yᵘ shalt finde her"
- 24 a female competitor who holds a preeminent position wordnet
- 25 Referring to one of several items used in tabletop games:; A red disk that is the most valuable piece in the Asian game of carrom.
"Imran was good at carrom. Always after the bright red queen, the centre of attention on the board, he tussled to win it first."
- 26 A reproductive female insect in a hive, such as an ant, bee, termite or wasp.
"Each time a worker shakes the queen, she grasps the queen with her forelegs and shakes her own body for a second or so, delivering 10 to 20 vigorous shakings of the queen […]"
- 27 A type of flatfish, specifically the lemon sole. obsolete
- 28 A queen apple. rare
- 29 A queen scallop.
- 30 Ellipsis of queen post. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, obsolete
"Truss framed with King Posts […] Do. with Kings and Queens."
- 31 A type of large roofing slate. historical
- 32 A homosexual man, especially one regarded as effeminate. derogatory, sometimes
"[…] all of these men are lasciviously dressed in womanly attire, short sleeves, low-necked dresses and the usual ball-room decorations and ornaments of women, feathered and ribboned head-dresses, garters, frills, flowers, ruffles, etc., and deport themselves as women. Standing or seated on a pedestal, but accessible to all the rest, is the naked queen (a male), whose phallic member, decorated with a ribbon, is subject to the gaze and osculations in turn, of all the members of this lecherous gang of sexual perverts and phallic fornicators."
- 33 An adult female cat capable of breeding.
"A few outdoor houses for the queens are used."
- 34 Ellipsis of queen olive. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"The combined quantity of Queens and Manzanillas to be pickled from the 1935 olive crop in the Seville District of Spain is estimated at 32,500 short tons, according to a report received from N. I. Nielsen, Agricultural Attaché at Paris."
- 35 Ellipsis of drag queen. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, slang
"Since exposure plays a major role in the success of a queen, even those performers who do not win a Talent Night can obtain bookings by the bar and establish a reputation."
- 36 Pertaining to a queen-size bed or queen-size bedding. US, attributive
"Ad Hoc Softwares has bright hand-blocked floral cotton bed linens from India, including flat full/queen sheets, were $85, now $51; standard pillowcases, were $18 each, now $10.80 […]"
- 37 A monarch butterfly (Danaus spp., especially Danaus gilippus).
Verb
- 1 To act the part of a queen; to behave imperiously; to queen it. intransitive, obsolete
- 2 become a queen wordnet
- 3 To make a queen or (figuratively) to give the status of a queen. transitive
"This dreame of mine / Being now awake, Ile Queene it no inch farther, / But milke my Ewes, and weepe."
- 4 promote to a queen, as of a pawn in chess wordnet
- 5 To promote a pawn to a queen.
"Neither King will be able to stop the opponent's pawns from queening, when the game should be a draw. In such cases, which side queens first, or queens with check, can make a crucial difference. In this case, White promotes his pawn first and is able to put this advantage to good use."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To be the queen bee of a colony.
"They have all been queened by imported stock, or the best of home-bred mothers."
- 7 To provide with a new queen bee.
"In queening his apiary, he aims to keep about half of the queens of the current season's rearing, and the other of the summer preceding."
- 8 To sit on a person’s face to receive oral sex, typically while straddling the person’s head. slang, transitive, usually
"The classic posture, in which you lie on your back while the male serves you, may make him feel arrogant and in charge. Try Queening him. Have him lie on his back while you sit on his face (make sure he has an airway through either his mouth or his nose)."
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative letter-case form of queen (“Virgin Mary”). alt-of
- 2 In Commonwealth realms, the personification of the Crown, particularly in legal matters.
"Her Majesty the Queen v. John Smith, style of cause of a criminal case."
- 3 A surname transferred from the nickname, originating as a nickname.
- 4 An unincorporated community in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States, named after the Queen Ranch.
- 5 An unincorporated community in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"A republic is a nation whose head is not a king or queen, but a president."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "queen"?
Common synonyms include: female monarch, ace, ant, army ant, auntie, bathsheba.
How do you use "queen" in a sentence?
A republic is a nation whose head is not a king or queen, but a president.
How do you pronounce "queen"?
Pronounced /kwiːn/.
Etymology
From Middle English quene, queen, cwen, from Old English cwēn (“queen”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwāni, from Proto-Germanic *kwēniz (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷénh₂s (“woman”). Cognate with Scots queen, wheen (“queen”), Old Saxon quān ("wife"; > Middle Low German quene (“elderly woman”)), Dutch kween (“woman past child-bearing age”), Swedish kvinna (“woman”), Norwegian kvinne (“woman”), Danish kvinde (“woman”), Icelandic kvon (“wife”), Gothic 𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃 (qēns, “wife”), Norwegian dialectal kvån (“wife”). Related to and possibly merged with and/or absorbed some senses of English quean, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene (“woman; female serf, quean”), see quean. Generally eclipsed non-native Middle English regina (“queen”), borrowed from Latin rēgīna (“queen”) (see Modern English Regina). Doublet of quean and gyne. In reference to insects, by analogy with the obsolete term king, which it took over from starting in the 1600s, when they were discovered to be female.