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drag queen

American  
[drag kween] / ˈdræg ˌkwin /

noun

Slang.

  1. a performer, typically one who was assigned male at birth, whose act involves a stylized and exaggerated interpretation of femininity that plays with stereotypical gender themes.

drag queen British  

noun

  1. a male who dresses as a woman and impersonates female characteristics for public entertainment

  2. slang a male transvestite

"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
drag queen Idioms  

  1. A male transvestite; also, a female impersonator. For example, He was surprised to find out that Roxanne was actually a drag queen. This term uses the slang noun drag in the sense of “female attire worn by a man” (a usage dating from about 1870; also see in drag). [Offensive slang; c. 1940]

Etymology

Origin of drag queen

First recorded in 1960–65; drag (in the sense “wearing clothes characteristic with a different sex”) + queen (in the sense “flamboyantly effeminate gay man”)

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In an interview with the BBC's Mark Savage in 2024, she described Chappell as a "larger-than-life, drag queen version of myself", who allows her to be rebellious and risqué.

From BBC

A New Orleans-style brass band, a gator-shaped eight-foot-long white sourdough bread, drag queen story time and even a street officially bearing his name, Claude the Alligator Way, the memorial was one of its kind.

From BBC

The drag queen, who channeled Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher for the stand-up skit, said she hopes pushing herself out of her comfort zone will be the start of a "positive change" for her public speaking.

From BBC

Northern Ireland drag queen Elle Vosque has taken second place in the series seven final of Ru Paul's Drag Race UK.

From BBC

The Buckinghamshire drag queen will take on the role of Miss Hannigan when the production opens in May 2026 at Wimbledon, before heading to Birmingham, Manchester, Plymouth, and Canterbury.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.