queen bee

American  

noun

1. a fertile female bee.

2. a woman who is in a favored or preeminent position.

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queen bee British  

noun

1. the fertile female bee in a hive

2. informal a woman in a position of dominance or ascendancy over her peers or associates

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Etymology

Origin of queen bee

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

“There was a groupthink happening, a hierarchy,” she said, all the way up to a “queen bee.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"The queen bee gave me a blank stare and said: 'You've ruined my night.'"

From BBC

Mrs. Choi is the queen bee of Autumn’s well-off neighborhood, and her Southern twang is like her designer shoes—something she never forgets to put on before she leaves the house.

From Literature

Every actor oozed Main Character Energy, but the plot fully revolved around Silverstone’s Cher, the effervescent queen bee of Beverly Hills.

From Los Angeles Times

The four Ghostbusters, for instance, bring distinct skills and backgrounds to the table, while the witches in “The Craft” each embody a different archetype of teenage girlhood, from outcast to queen bee.

From Salon

Related Words

• female
• girl
• woman