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bee

1
[ bee ]
/ bi /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bee

noun

any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebees, honeybees, etc.
the common honeybee, Apis mellifera.
a community social gathering in order to perform some task, engage in a contest, etc.: a sewing bee; a spelling bee; a husking bee.

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Idioms for bee

Origin of bee

1
before 1000; Middle English be(e); Old English bīo, bēo; cognate with Dutch bij,Old Saxon bī, bini,Old High German bīa, bini (German Biene), Old Norse bȳ; with other suffixes, Lithuanian bìtė, OPruss bitte, OCS bĭchela,Old Irish bech;*bhi- is a North European stem with the same distribution as wax1, apple; put the bee on probably an allusion to sting in sense “dupe, cheat”

OTHER WORDS FROM bee

beelike, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bee

be, bee

Words nearby bee

bedwarmer, bedwetter, bedwetting, Bedworth, Będzin, bee, Beeb, bee balm, Beebe, bee beetle, bee bird

Definition for bee (2 of 3)

bee2
[ bee ]
/ bi /

noun

Also called bee block. Nautical. a piece of hardwood, bolted to the side of a bowsprit, through which to reeve stays.
Obsolete. a metal ring or bracelet.

Origin of bee

2
before 1050; Middle English beh ring, Old English bēag, bēah; cognate with Old Frisian bāg,Old Saxon, Middle Low German bōg,Old High German boug,Old Norse baugr,Sanskrit bhoga-; akin to bow1

Definition for bee (3 of 3)

B.E.E.

Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to bee

drone, bumblebee, party, harvest, social, honey bee, killer bee, queen bee

Example sentences from the Web for bee

British Dictionary definitions for bee (1 of 4)

bee1
/ (biː) /

noun

any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, which includes social forms such as the honeybee and solitary forms such as the carpenter beeSee also bumblebee, mason bee Related adjective: apian
busy bee a person who is industrious or has many things to do
have a bee in one's bonnet to be preoccupied or obsessed with an idea

Word Origin for bee

Old English bīo; related to Old Norse bӯ, Old High German bīa, Dutch bij, Swedish bi

British Dictionary definitions for bee (2 of 4)

bee2
/ (biː) /

noun

a social gathering for a specific purpose, as to carry out a communal task or hold competitionsquilting bee
See spelling bee

Word Origin for bee

C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English bēn boon

British Dictionary definitions for bee (3 of 4)

bee3
/ (biː) /

noun

nautical a small sheave with one cheek removed and the pulley and other cheek fastened flat to a boom or another spar, used for reeving outhauls or stays

Word Origin for bee

Old English bēag; related to Old High German boug ring, Old Norse bogi a bow

British Dictionary definitions for bee (4 of 4)

BEE

abbreviation for (in South Africa)

Black Economic Empowerment: a government policy aimed at encouraging and supporting shareholding by black people
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

Idioms and Phrases with bee

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