bumblebee

or bum·ble bee

[buhm-buh l-bee]

See more synonyms for bumblebee on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of several large, hairy social bees of the family Apidae.

Origin of bumblebee

First recorded in 1520–30; bumble² + bee¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bumblebee

tick, vermin, pest, mite, bee, butterfly, gnat, dragonfly, moth, grasshopper, spider, cockroach, termite, ant, mosquito, beetle, flea, aphid, ladybug, fly

Examples from the Web for bumblebee

Historical Examples of bumblebee

I told him you boys were over on Bumblebee hill, and how to get there.
Shenanigans at Sugar Creek
Paul Hutchens
He was forever boasting of his connection with the Bumblebee family.
The Tale of Betsy Butterfly
Arthur Scott Bailey
This stranger is no kin either to the Bumblebee or any other Bee family.
The Tale of Betsy Butterfly
Arthur Scott Bailey
And neither did the workers, nor any other member of the Bumblebee family.
The Tale of Buster Bumblebee
Arthur Scott Bailey
It was true that the Bumblebee family numbered at least two hundred souls.
The Tale of Buster Bumblebee
Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for bumblebee

bumblebee

humblebee

noun

any large hairy social bee of the genus Bombus and related genera, of temperate regions: family Apidae

Word Origin for bumblebee

C16: from bumble ² + bee 1

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

Word Origin and History for bumblebee

also bumble-bee, 1520s, replacing Middle English humbul-be (altered by association with Middle English bombeln "to boom, buzz," late 14c.); echoic, from PIE echoic root *kem "to hum."