hive

[hahyv]

noun

1. a shelter constructed for housing a colony of honeybees; beehive.

2. the colony of bees inhabiting a hive.

3. something resembling a beehive in structure or use.

4. a place swarming with busy occupants.

   a hive of industry.

   Synonyms: center, hub

5. a swarming or teeming multitude.

verb (used with object)

hived, hiving 

1. to gather into or cause to enter a hive.

2. to shelter as in a hive.

3. to store up in a hive.

4. to store or lay away for future use or enjoyment.

verb (used without object)

hived, hiving 

1. (of bees) to enter a hive.

2. to live together in or as in a hive.

verb phrase

1. hive off,  to become transferred from the main body of a commercial or industrial enterprise through the agency of new ownership.

hive

/ haɪv /

noun

1. a structure in which social bees live and rear their young

2. a colony of social bees

3. a place showing signs of great industry (esp in the phrase a hive of activity )

4. a teeming crowd; multitude

5. an object in the form of a hive

verb

1. to cause (bees) to collect or (of bees) to collect inside a hive

2. to live or cause to live in or as if in a hive

3. (tr) (of bees) to store (honey, pollen, etc) in the hive

4. (tr; often foll by up or away) to store, esp for future use

   he used to hive away a small sum every week

Other Word Forms

• hiveless adjective
• hivelike adjective
• hiver noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hive¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hȳf; akin to Old Norse hūfr “ship's hull,” Latin cūpa “vat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hive¹

Old English hӯf; related to Westphalian hüwe, Old Norse hūfr ship's hull, Latin cūpa barrel, Greek kupē, Sanskrit kūpa cave

Example Sentences

While this mechanism helps wild colonies adjust to shifting conditions, it can create complications in managed hives.

Read more on Science Daily

He is tapped into the dimension’s “hive mind” and can sense Vecna’s presence, usually through a strange feeling on the back of his neck.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

An ominous buzz rose from the guests, like a hive of bees preparing to swarm.

Read more on Literature

As CEO, he has undertaken a significant restructuring of the business—including hiving off its life and retirement business—and overseen a marked increase in profitability.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The gleaming city is one of the most infamous of the hubs thriving in Myanmar's border regions, which have devolved into hives of black market activity since a civil war consumed the country in 2021.

Read more on Barron's