hive

American  

[hahyv] / haɪv /

noun

hives plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

hives, present (3rd person singular) hived, past participle, past hiving present participle

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)

hives, present (3rd person singular) hived, past participle, past hiving present participle

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 British  

/ 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

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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

Derived Forms

• hiver
  noun
• hiveless
  adjective
• hivelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hives
  plural

Participles

• hiving
  present
• hived
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hive
  simple
• hives
  simple
• have hived
  perfect
• has hived
  perfect
• am hiving
  progressive
• are hiving
  progressive
• is hiving
  progressive
• have been hiving
  perfect progressive
• has been hiving
  perfect progressive

Past

• hived
  simple
• had hived
  perfect
• was hiving
  progressive
• were hiving
  progressive
• had been hiving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hive
  simple
• will have hived
  perfect
• will be hiving
  progressive
• will have been hiving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hive

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

Explanation

A hive can be a home for bees. It’s also a whole bunch of something moving around — like a hive of eager students — which is related to the fact that so many bees live in a hive. The word hive is most recognizable as a place where bees live, but it can be a verb that means to move together as one, like a swarm of bees. It can also describe storing a lot of things in a confined space, the way bees are packed into a hive. You might hive your stamp collection in boxes in the attic, but if bees have built a hive in the eaves you won't be able to get to them.

Example Sentences

The new building included two areas: Wild Play and The Hive.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

She started her own physical therapy practice that spring, naming it Hive Therapy in honor of Bee.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

The Hive was first published in 2013 and tells the story of a group of mothers at a primary school.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Mrs King added: "She was very caring and creative, and we want to carry on her light and we want to do that with Bebe's Hive."

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

And Agent Fiona nearly caused an international incident when, as a Junior Agent, she greatly offended the Origami Hive Mind by insisting that scissors beats paper in a game of rock, paper, scissors.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston