bee
1[ bee ]
/ bi /
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noun
any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebee, honeybee, 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 about bee
Origin of bee
1First recorded 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, Old Prussian bitte, Old Church Slavonic bĭchela, Old Irish bech; the unattested bhi- is a North European stem with the same distribution as wax1, apple; put the bee on is probably an allusion to sting in sense “dupe, cheat”
OTHER WORDS FROM bee
beelike, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bee
be, beeOther definitions 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
2First recorded before 1050; Middle English bei, be, bih “ring,” Old English bēag, bēah, bēg; cognate with Old Frisian bāg, Old Saxon, Middle Low German bōg, Old High German boug, Old Norse baugr, Sanskrit bhoga-; akin to bow1
Other definitions for bee (3 of 3)
B.E.E.
abbreviation
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bee in a sentence
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
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Other 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.