drag queen
Americannoun
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drag queens
plural
noun
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a male who dresses as a woman and impersonates female characteristics for public entertainment
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slang a male transvestite
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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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How does drag-queen compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Dolly was colorful and vivacious and unapologetic, and had more than a bit of drag queen in her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
In 2002, at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, Parton even replaced the name Jolene with "drag queen" as a crowd of drag performers looked on.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
"I felt that was very relatable as a drag queen and so I took that book up there to testify," Bandit told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
YouTube page in March featuring a special edition in which drag queen Monét X Change, singer Rebecca Black and comedian Brennan Lee Mulligan competed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Pearl and Moody, looking on in bemusement, didn’t even glance at the screen, and Lexie had interrupted before Trip was halfway through his case for the drag queen.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
