honeybee

American  

[huhn-ee-bee] / ˈhʌn iˌbi /

Or honey bee

noun

1. any bee that collects and stores honey, especially Apis mellifera.

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honeybee British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌbiː /

noun

1. Also called: hive bee.  any of various social honey-producing bees of the genus Apis, esp A. mellifera, which has been widely domesticated as a source of honey and beeswax

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Etymology

Origin of honeybee

First recorded in 1560–70; honey + bee ¹

Explanation

Honeybees are the winged insects that beekeepers like best, because they naturally produce extra honey and can be raised to produce the sweet, sticky stuff. Honeybees, as their name implies, make a lot of honey, storing surplus amounts in their waxy hives. Humans have domesticated two species of honeybee, raising them for the extra honey they produce. You can tell the difference between a bumblebee, which is native to North America, and a honeybee, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe, by comparing their bodies. Honeybees are slim, with a distinct head, while bumblebees are fat and fuzzy.

Example Sentences

Among the largest is Honeybee in Culver City, which did not reply to requests for comment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Prof Anil Gupta who runs the Honeybee Network, a platform for supporting such ventures, call these "frugal innovations".

From BBC • May 26, 2025

Pharmacists must get a special certification to dispense mifepristone, and report data about each prescription, said Jessica Nouhavandi, co-founder of Honeybee.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023

Honeybee health is extremely important to farmers who rely on the flying little workers to pollinate more than 100 different crops, which provides about $6.4 billion in annual economic value.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2022

Honeybee stood in his shirt-sleeves, and in his dressing-room, while his perspiring and nervous man endeavoured to put boots on the top of clean shirts.

From Humorous Readings and Recitations In prose and verse by Various