drag queen

[drag kween]

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

noun

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

2. slang,  a male transvestite

Word History and Origins

Origin of drag queen¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

In 2006, after she released an album of pop and jazz standards, Lauper appeared in “The Threepenny Opera” on Broadway; seven years later, “Kinky Boots” — about a drag queen who saves a struggling shoe factory — won six Tony Awards including best musical and best original score.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I mean, we both just want to be free to smoke weed while riding our electric scooters to a drag queen brunch.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a recent episode, she spoke about fellow drag queen Xunami Muse’s decision to self-deport and shared that a close family member had also self-deported to Mexico.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bonnie Ann Clyde, known out of drag as James Keogh, is set to become the first drag queen from the Republic of Ireland to walk the runway.

Read more on BBC

Joining him in the iconic 'Werk Room' is west Belfast drag queen Elle Vosque, marking the first series to feature more than one contestant from the island of Ireland.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bio queen 
• drag artist