hive

[ hahyv ]

/ haɪv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: hive / hived / hives / hiving on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the colony of bees inhabiting a hive.

something resembling a beehive in structure or use.

a place swarming with busy occupants: a hive of industry.

a swarming or teeming multitude.

verb (used with object), hived, hiv·ing.

to gather into or cause to enter a hive.

to shelter as in a hive.

to store up in a hive.

to store or lay away for future use or enjoyment.

verb (used without object), hived, hiv·ing.

(of bees) to enter a hive.

to live together in or as in a hive.

Verb Phrases

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

SYNONYMS FOR hive

4 hub, center.

See synonyms for hive on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hive

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hive

hiveless, adjectivehivelike, adjectivehiver, noun

Words nearby hive

hit upon, hit wicket, Hitzig, HIV, Hiva Oa, hive, hive bee, hive dross, hive mind, hive off, hives

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for hive

Not just the bees’ wings and bodies but also the structure of their hive.
The Dark Side of Smart - Facts So Romantic|Diana Fleischman|September 15, 2020|Nautilus
The researchers pressed vibration detectors into the beeswax of one frame from each hive.
Quacks and toots help young honeybee queens avoid deadly duels|Sharon Oosthoek|September 14, 2020|Science News For Students
A hatched queen might wander around the hive tooting for several days.
Quacks and toots help young honeybee queens avoid deadly duels|Sharon Oosthoek|September 14, 2020|Science News For Students
Bencsik and his team didn’t see this happening because they were tracking the bees from outside the hive.
Quacks and toots help young honeybee queens avoid deadly duels|Sharon Oosthoek|September 14, 2020|Science News For Students

This happens when worker bees abandon their hive, eventually causing the hive to die.
For teens, big problems may lead to meaningful research|Carolyn Wilke|July 28, 2020|Science News For Students
The drones, as it were, had to rest at their stations, constantly maintaining the hive for the greater good.
The Secret Soviet Power Bunker—in Latvia, a Hiding Place for the Elite|Brandon Presser|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Ali Salameh arrived at Black September headquarters in Beirut, he found a hive of furious activity.
Mossad’s Greatest Female Assassin: An Excerpt From ‘Sylvia Rafael’|Ram Oren,   Moti Kfir|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since the mid-19th century, Sicily has been known as a hive of Mafioso activity.
Palermo Is Not Just for the Mafia Anymore|Alia Akkam|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This conservative, evangelical megachurch, just outside San Diego, is a hive of activity on a Sunday morning.
Even After Hobby Lobby, the Religious Right is Still Terrified|Gene Robinson|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Burt called on his beekeeper pal, who scooped up the bees from the fencepost with his bare hands, and dumped them into a hive.
Burt’s Bees Co-Founder Burt Shavitz on the Doc ‘Burt’s Buzz,’ and Losing Millions|Marlow Stern|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Hunis versified the whole book of Genesis, calling it a hive full of honey.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The hive bee, the most communal in habit, shows the highest traits of intelligent activity.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
Within that time, a redness and swelling, like a hive or a bite, will appear at some of the scratches.
The Treatment of Hay Fever|George Frederick Laidlaw
I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind's made up; I'll hive that money for them or bust.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
We turned out from the penny-reading like bees from a hive, openly wondering what could have become of Mr. Lake.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for hive

hive

/ (haɪv) /

noun

a structure in which social bees live and rear their young

a colony of social bees

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

a teeming crowd; multitude

an object in the form of a hive

verb

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

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

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

(tr; often foll by up or away) to store, esp for future usehe used to hive away a small sum every week

Derived forms of hive

hivelike, adjective

Word Origin for hive

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

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

hive