honey

American  

[huhn-ee] / ˈhʌn i /

noun

PLURAL

honeys

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.

3. the nectar of flowers.

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

5. something sweet, delicious, or delightful.

   the honey of flattery.

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

7. (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).

8. Informal.  something of especially high quality, degree of excellence, etc..

   That's a honey of a computer.

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adjective

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

2. containing honey or flavored or sweetened with honey.

verb (used with object)

honeyed, honied, honeying

1. Informal.  to talk flatteringly or endearingly to (often followed byup ).

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

verb (used without object)

honeyed, honied, honeying

1. Informal.  to use flattery, endearing terms, etc., in an effort to obtain something (often followed byup ).

   They always got what they wanted by honeying up to their grandfather.

honey British  

/ 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

3. anything that is sweet or delightful

4. (often capital) a term of endearment

5. informal  something considered to be very good of its kind

   a honey of a car

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

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• honey-like adjective
• honeyful adjective
• honeyless adjective
• honeylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of honey

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

Example Sentences

One stall sold slices of mangoes brought in from Jazan, the fertile southern province famous for its tropical fruits, wheat and coffee; others sold raisins, spices, nuts and gourmet honey from Yemen.

From Los Angeles Times

The hot honey elevates the heat level as well as adds a subtle sweetness to keep the carrots from being water-eyed, “need a glass of milk” level spicy.

From Salon

What sounds like the storyline of a medieval palace drama often plays out in real-life honey bee colonies.

From Science Daily

I was helping Karen dry off after a shower, and I whispered to her, as I often do, “I’ll take care of you, honey. I’ll take care of you.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Some tariffs remain on minor exports such as honey and shoes.

From The Wall Street Journal