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

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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

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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

The Elizabeth Holmes movie made sriracha honey turkey jerky famous.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Think Jerky is trying to build and expand a sustainable business after a cameo by its sriracha honey turkey jerky made it a viral hit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

None of the three cyber firms which have been gathering honey pot data are ruling out that it could be a teenager.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Aggressive behavior initiated by species other than honey bees was uncommon.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

“So the young man became a great chief, and he always remembered to leave honey out for the honeyguide.”

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

This countertop infusion machine manages every step — drying, decarboxylation, infusion — so you can turn out oils, butters, honeys, and more with reliable results.

From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025

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

From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 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

A new ramp vinegar, called Zeal, is from Brightland, a company based in Los Angeles that gets its products, mostly olive oils, vinegars and honeys, from small producers in California and elsewhere.

From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2022

Over in the meadow, In a snug beehive, Lived a mother honeybee And her little honeys five.

From The Beacon Second Reader by Edna T. Hart

In an era of great tenors McCormack alone had the superlative breath control, the honeyed sweetness and the ability to float notes at the top of the register with dulcet ease.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

They burst into action with an explosion of pyrotechnics and fireworks with Hooligan, which showcased their trademark blend of honeyed harmonies and crisp rap verses.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

“Howling” — the fierce yet honeyed lead track on “Awe” — saw the group transformed into a futuristic wolf pack.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026

Creamy, with a sweetness that flirted between honeyed custard and the milk leftover at the end end of a bowl of Cheerio’s — decadent, strange and oddly comforting.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025

Idly Cluny picked up a bowl of honeyed milk and sampled it.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

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

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

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

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 Theodore Dreiser

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 A. D. (Alfred Denis) Godley

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 Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson

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

There was no melancholy in the honied tone of the chime, and it gave him a glow that went with him happily throughout the dreary day.

From Fairfax and His Pride by Marie Van Vorst

No fair arms around him cling, Ne'er he tastes a honied kiss; Songs that ancient dreamers sing, Those alone afford him bliss.

From Tales from the German Comprising specimens from the most celebrated authors by Various

Thus the waters gave birth to the first insects, and their earliest families were not of those which suck honied juices or the blood of animals, or which pass through a worm-like infancy.

From The Chain of Life in Geological Time A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants by Sir J. William Dawson

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