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

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

He said swarming typically occurred when a surplus queen bee leaves a hive with part of the colony to set up a new one somewhere else.

From BBC

He said it threatened to disrupt the movement of queen bees, which lay all the eggs in the business's honey-producing hives - of which there are more than 125.

From BBC

Related Words

• female
• girl
• woman