queen bee
Americannoun
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queen bees
plural
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a fertile female bee.
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a woman who is in a favored or preeminent position.
noun
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the fertile female bee in a hive
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informal a woman in a position of dominance or ascendancy over her peers or associates
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of queen bee
First recorded in 1600–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A queen bee reaches maturity in about 16 days, while worker bees require roughly 21 days.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
According to Cranston, the stunt team was able to cover the actor in bees by using pheromones from the queen bee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
Now we’re on Vegas World; now we’re on Jurassic Planet; now we’re on a planet ruled by a gigantic queen bee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
"The queen bee gave me a blank stare and said: 'You've ruined my night.'"
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
And Liza Guilfoyle, queen bee of the school.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
