honey

American  

[huhn-ee] / ˈhʌn i /

noun

honeys plural

1. a sweet, viscid fluid produced by bees from the nectar collected from flowers, and stored in nests or hives as food.

2. this substance as used in cooking or as a spread or sweetener.

3. the nectar of flowers.

4. any of various similarly sweet, viscid products produced by insects or in other ways.

5. something sweet, delicious, or delightful.

   the honey of flattery.

6. Informal. a person for whom one feels love or deep affection; sweetheart; darling.

7. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).

8. Informal. something of especially high quality, degree of excellence, etc..

   That's a honey of a computer.

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adjective

1. of, like, or pertaining to honey; sweet.

2. containing honey or flavored or sweetened with honey.

verb (used with object)

honeyed, honied, honeying

1. Informal. to talk flatteringly or endearingly to (often followed byup ).

2. to sweeten or flavor with or as if with honey.

verb (used without object)

honeyed, honied, honeying

1. Informal. to use flattery, endearing terms, etc., in an effort to obtain something (often followed byup ).

   They always got what they wanted by honeying up to their grandfather.

honey British  

/ ˈhʌnɪ /

noun

1. a sweet viscid substance made by bees from nectar and stored in their nests or hives as food. It is spread on bread or used as a sweetening agent

2. any similar sweet substance, esp the nectar of flowers

3. anything that is sweet or delightful

4. (often capital) a term of endearment

5. informal something considered to be very good of its kind

   a honey of a car

6. (modifier) of, concerned with, or resembling honey

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verb

1. (tr) to sweeten with or as if with honey

2. (often foll by up) to talk to (someone) in a fond or flattering way

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• honey-like
  adjective
• honeyful
  adjective
• honeyless
  adjective
• honeylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• honeys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of honey

before 900; Middle English hony, Old English hunig; cognate with Dutch, German honig, Old Norse hunang; akin to Greek knēkós pale yellow, tawny

Explanation

Honey is the sweet, sticky substance that bees make from flower nectar. Most people like to put a little honey in their tea, but Winnie the Pooh likes to hoard it in a big pot. Honey comes in various consistencies — from almost solid, in honeycomb, to drippy and liquid. Bees produce honey and store it for food, and humans often take advantage of this, harvesting the honey for themselves. Honey is also a color, the golden shade of most honey, and a verb, meaning "to add honey," or "to make sweet." Since the 14th century, people have also called each other honey as an affectionate nickname.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

honey honeys honeyed honeying honied

Thyme and honey belong to a mutual admiration society, as do berries and buttermilk; the woodiness of the herb plays beautifully against tangy yogurt, while orange zest somehow charms the entire table.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Research has found acetamiprid can poison honey bees, affecting their foraging capacity and memory, while a 2024 study suggested flupyradifurone could be lethal to some bees.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

"More research is needed to confirm our findings and to investigate if other refined sugar alternatives, such as applesauce, honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar, may be effective alternatives."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

Announced last week in a post on Instagram, the drink was described as a “clarified tonic” with coconut water, jasmine tea, raw honey, holy basil, anise hyssop, green cardamom, white grape juice and coconut milk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

On the warm afternoon breeze the scent of kupaloke is sweet as honey.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

This countertop infusion machine automates every step—drying, decarboxylation, and infusion—letting you infuse oils, butters, honeys, and more without the usual guesswork.

From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025

Jams, jellies and honeys make perfect pairings for much of what’s on offer.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

For breakfast, he requires a selection of six honeys and a special mix of muesli, and to end a meal, a plate of local cheese.

From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2023

Vendors are hawking flower crowns, drinking horns, herbal tea blends and artisanal wildflower honeys while the pop-up taverns declaring “COLD DRYNKS” attend to parched wayfarers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2022

"Bless your hearts, honeys," she replied, "you must have some onions in your stew!"

From A Lie Never Justifiable by Trumbull, H. Clay (Henry Clay)

On a recent evening, from a seat at the restaurant’s fluted blonde-wood bar, I watched as a blaze of honeyed light poured through a wall of windows overlooking sloping vineyards and the Appalachian foothills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

She explained that she and her siblings would deliberately choose long bedtime stories to spend more time listening to their father read aloud, describing his voice as "honeyed".

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Think clusters of honeyed oats, a handful of nuts, a whisper of cinnamon or maple, a pinch of sea salt.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025

I remember her voice, honeyed with an accent.

From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2024

I closed my eyes and thought of Rosa: her perfect face, her milky skin, her mermaid hair, her honeyed eyes that caused such havoc, her hands clasping the mother- of-pearl rosary, her nuptial flower crown.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Russian Journey is his most interesting book to date and offers a penetrating glimpse of the enigmatic bear which is currently bent on retracting its claws and honeying up the world.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ay, but the young colt winced and whinnied and flung up her heels; and then the King came honeying about her, and this Becket, her father's friend, like enough staved us from her.

From Becket and other plays by Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron

But honeying at the whisper of a lord: And one the Master, as a rogue in grain, Veneer'd with sanctimonious theory.'

From Aspects of Modern Oxford by Godley, A. D. (Alfred Denis)

I’d always felt that way, too, till he come honeying round me this spring.

From Captain Pott's Minister by Cooper, Francis L. (Francis Le Roy)

So she set briskly about her task, honeying Eugene the while, for she was confident that this above all things was the thing he needed.

From The "Genius" by Dreiser, Theodore

Within hours Columbia Artists' Vice-President William Judd was on the transatlantic phone with honied words.

From Time Magazine Archive

And I, listening, Found not the salt of the whispers of my girl, Murmur of confused colors, as we lay near sleep; Little wise words and little witty words, Wanton as water, honied with eagerness.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Thou answerest plausibly;— I would believe thy honied tongue. hermione.

From The Legendary and Poetical Remains of John Roby author of 'Traditions of Lancashire', with a sketch of his literary life and character by Roby, John

There are none of the fine expressions of friendship, none of the many honied words, none of the encomiums on his correspondent's good nature and humility.

From The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 1 New Edition by Pope, Alexander

Sleek from good living, his hood fell without a wrinkle over his portly person; and bowing in devotion before his superiors, the words of flattery flowed in profusion from his honied tongue.

From The Highlands of Ethiopia by Harris, William Cornwallis