queen bee

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noun

a fertile female bee.

a woman who is in a favored or preeminent position.

Nearby words

queen, queen anne, queen anne's bounty, queen anne's lace, queen anne's war, queen bee, queen charlotte islands, queen city, queen closer, queen consort, queen dowager

Origin of queen bee

First recorded in 1600–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for queen bee

The ancients supposed that the queen-bee was indeed the queen and ruler of the hive.
Woman and Womanhood|C. W. Saleeby
For it is written that against a queen-bee only another queen may draw her sting.
The Children's Life of the Bee|Maurice Maeterlinck
Generally these were women, as at Ephesos in early days, where they obeyed a high-priestess, who called herself 'the queen-bee.'
The Hittites|A. H. Sayce
And what duties, said my wife, does the queen-bee perform, that have any resemblance to those incumbent upon me?
Aristotle and Ancient Educational Ideals|Thomas Davidson

When a queen-bee lays male eggs, it is often asserted that these are not yet fecundated.
Schenk's Theory: The Determination of Sex|Samuel Leopold Schenk

British Dictionary definitions for queen bee

queen bee

noun

the fertile female bee in a hive

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

queen bee

noun

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Origin of queen bee

Examples from the Web for queen bee

British Dictionary definitions for queen bee

queen bee

noun