honey

[ huhn-ee ]
See synonyms for: honeyhoneyedhoneyinghonied on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural hon·eys.
  1. a sweet, viscid fluid produced by bees from the nectar collected from flowers, and stored in nests or hives as food.

  2. this substance as used in cooking or as a spread or sweetener.

  1. the nectar of flowers.

  2. any of various similarly sweet, viscid products produced by insects or in other ways.

  3. something sweet, delicious, or delightful: the honey of flattery.

  4. Informal. a person for whom one feels love or deep affection; sweetheart; darling.

  5. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).

  6. Informal. something of especially high quality, degree of excellence, etc.: That's a honey of a computer.

adjective
  1. of, like, or pertaining to honey; sweet.

  2. containing honey or flavored or sweetened with honey.

verb (used with object),hon·eyed or hon·ied, hon·ey·ing.
  1. Informal. to talk flatteringly or endearingly to (often followed by up).

  2. to sweeten or flavor with or as if with honey.

verb (used without object),hon·eyed or hon·ied, hon·ey·ing.
  1. Informal. to use flattery, endearing terms, etc., in an effort to obtain something (often followed by up): They always got what they wanted by honeying up to their grandfather.

Origin of honey

1
before 900; Middle English hony,Old English hunig; cognate with Dutch, German honig,Old Norse hunang; akin to Greek knēkós pale yellow, tawny

Other words from honey

  • hon·ey·ful, adjective
  • hon·ey·less, adjective
  • hon·ey·like, adjective

Words Nearby honey

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use honey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for honey

honey

/ (ˈhʌnɪ) /


noun
  1. a sweet viscid substance made by bees from nectar and stored in their nests or hives as food. It is spread on bread or used as a sweetening agent

  2. any similar sweet substance, esp the nectar of flowers

  1. anything that is sweet or delightful

  2. (often capital) mainly US and Canadian a term of endearment

  3. informal, mainly US and Canadian something considered to be very good of its kind: a honey of a car

  4. (modifier) of, concerned with, or resembling honey

verbhoneys, honeying, honeyed or honied
  1. (tr) to sweeten with or as if with honey

  2. (often foll by up) to talk to (someone) in a fond or flattering way

Origin of honey

1
Old English huneg; related to Old Norse hunang, Old Saxon hanig, German Honig, Greek knēkos yellowish, Sanskrit kánaka- gold

Derived forms of honey

  • honey-like, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012