hive

American  

[hahyv] / haɪv /

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.

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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 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

• hiveless
  adjective
• hivelike
  adjective
• hiver
  noun

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 Hive, written by Gill Hornby, was on loan until the end of March and was well within the return deadline when it ended up at Bairnsdale Library in East Gippsland, Victoria.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Bebe's parents have launched Bebe's Hive to provide creative sessions using art, music and storytelling to help bereaved children.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

All proceeds will go to The Hive, which has been under threat of closure due to increasing bills and difficulty obtaining national funding.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2024

All proceeds from the book and any subsequent artwork will go directly to the Save The Hive Campaign.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2024

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