honeybee

American  

[huhn-ee-bee] / ˈhʌn iˌbi /

Or honey bee

noun

honeybees plural

1. any bee that collects and stores honey, especially Apis mellifera.

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honeybee British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌbiː /

noun

1. Also called: hive bee.  any of various social honey-producing bees of the genus Apis, esp A. mellifera, which has been widely domesticated as a source of honey and beeswax

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• honeybees
  plural

Etymology

Origin of honeybee

First recorded in 1560–70; honey + bee ¹

Explanation

Honeybees are the winged insects that beekeepers like best, because they naturally produce extra honey and can be raised to produce the sweet, sticky stuff. Honeybees, as their name implies, make a lot of honey, storing surplus amounts in their waxy hives. Humans have domesticated two species of honeybee, raising them for the extra honey they produce. You can tell the difference between a bumblebee, which is native to North America, and a honeybee, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe, by comparing their bodies. Honeybees are slim, with a distinct head, while bumblebees are fat and fuzzy.

Example Sentences

Genetic studies reveal that they combine traits from at least four honeybee lineages, including African, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and Western European bees.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

At one point he compared himself to a honeybee.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

In midsentence, she’d suddenly break off to excitedly note a young kestrel flying near the crossing or a honeybee foraging among some early flowers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

For example, honeybee activism is partially responsible for some U.S. states and the European Union outlawing neonicotinoids, a highly toxic pesticide.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2025

We watched a honeybee lurch from one fat flower to the next, drunk and staggering under the weight of all that botanical destiny.

From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff