queen
noun
a female sovereign or monarch.
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queen
1 American
[kween]
/ kwin /
noun
queens
plural
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a female sovereign or monarch.
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the wife or consort of a king.
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a woman, or something personified as a woman, that is foremost or preeminent in any respect.
a movie queen; a beauty queen; Athens, the queen of the Aegean.
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Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive. a term used to refer to a gay man, especially one who is flamboyantly campy or effeminate.
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a playing card bearing a picture of a queen.
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Chess. the most powerful piece of either color, moved across any number of empty squares in any direction.
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Entomology. a fertile female ant, bee, termite, or wasp.
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a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Q.
verb (used without object)
queens,
present (3rd person singular)
queened,
past participle, past
queening
present participle
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to reign as queen.
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to behave in an imperious or pretentious manner (usually followed byit ).
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Chess. to become promoted to a queen.
Queen
2
American
[kween]
/ kwin /
noun
queen
1
British
/ kwiːn /
noun
-
a female sovereign who is the official ruler or head of state
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the wife or widow of a king
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a woman or a thing personified as a woman considered the best or most important of her kind
a beauty queen
the queen of ocean liners
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slang an effeminate male homosexual
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the only fertile female in a colony of social insects, such as bees, ants, and termites, from the eggs of which the entire colony develops
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( as modifier )
a queen bee
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an adult female cat
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one of four playing cards in a pack, one for each suit, bearing the picture of a queen
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a chess piece, theoretically the most powerful piece, able to move in a straight line in any direction or diagonally, over any number of squares
verb
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chess to promote (a pawn) to a queen when it reaches the eighth rank
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(tr) to crown as queen
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informal (intr) (of a gay man) to flaunt one's homosexuality
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(intr) to reign as queen
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informal (often foll by over) to behave in an overbearing manner
Queen
2
British
/ kwiːn /
noun
Sensitive Note
The term queen is usually used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting when in reference to a gay man, especially one considered to be effeminate or flamboyant. However, within the gay community, it is sometimes used in a friendly, teasing, or facetious manner, and can also be a positive term of self-reference.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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queensimple
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queenssimple
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have queenedperfect
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has queenedperfect
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am queeningprogressive
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are queeningprogressive
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is queeningprogressive
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have been queeningperfect progressive
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has been queeningperfect progressive
Past
-
queenedsimple
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had queenedperfect
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was queeningprogressive
-
were queeningprogressive
-
had been queeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of queen
First recorded before 900; Middle English quene, quen, Old English cwēn “woman, queen”; cognate with Old Saxon quān, Old Norse kvān, Gothic qēns, from unattested Germanic kwēni-; akin to Old Irish ben, Greek gynḗ woman, Russian zhená, Sanskrit jani “wife”
Explanation
In a monarchy, a queen is the female ruler of the country. Whether you are the Queen of England or the queen of a honey bee colony, you are the female in charge. A queen inherits the title and the job, either from her father (the king) or her mother (the queen). Sometimes the term "queen consort" is used for a king's wife — in this case, the queen isn't the ruler, but merely married to the guy in charge. Many fairs, festivals, and other events crown an honorary queen, so you might be crowned the butter queen at the state fair. There's a queen in chess, the most powerful piece on the board, and a deck of cards has four queens. The most important bee in a colony is also a queen.
Vocabulary lists containing queen
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.
See Examples For:
"The queen came to say hello to us -- and I was wearing this dirty thing," said Margarita.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The findings provide early evidence that communication between neural circuits helps determine whether a worker bee nurses the queen, builds or guards the hive, or searches for food.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
BeeWalk data showed overall queen numbers were below average in March, April and May 2023.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Following her was fellow queen Kochina Rude who came out dressed as Pee-wee Herman to perform the Germs’ “Lexicon Devil” before stage-diving into the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Little sister,” the fairy queen said in greeting, and the fairy in May’s hair began gesturing around, first at Jack, then at May, and back again.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
The remarkable Ms. Weaving is a contender for Australian Scream Queen, but few would expect Mr. Segel, a Judd Apatow mainstay, to star in a splatter comedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia came to visit them and the other evacuees from Aldea del Fresno there on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Queen Elizabeth II famously took part in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, appearing to skydive into the stadium from a helicopter with James Bond actor Daniel Craig, after he escorted her from Buckingham Palace.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The research was led by Professor Ginestra Bianconi, a mathematician at Queen Mary University of London.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
They could hear the Shadow Queen screaming, a terrible wail getting closer.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The fire on stage for Day 2 of the fest started early by a pack of drag queens led by Peaches Christ.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
It lived in the queens who could read a face from across the room, the regulars who noticed an absence and the staff who could feel the room change before anyone else did.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
The added warmth may help explain why queens develop so quickly.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
Dione Frost was up until 03:00 preparing the event and now drag queens entertain the crowd as Christina Aguilera's Lady Marmalade blasts from the speakers.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Under the canopy there rode four middle-aged queens on white mules, looting picturesque.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Rxa8, and White soon to be queened pawn will help deliver checkmates in a couple of moves.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
K-Kt2 and draw, as Black has to give up the rook, and the RP cannot be queened, the Black bishop having no power on the White diagonal.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various
I was donned myself of blue velvet guarded of miniver, and wore all my Lady’s jewels on mine head and corsage; and marry, but I queened it!
From In Convent Walls The Story of the Despensers by Irwin, M. (Madelaine)
There she queened it, with her General as loyal henchman, and Marshall Wace as a professor of drawing-room talents of most varied sort.
From Deadham Hard by Malet, Lucas
Imagination conjured up scenes in the summer garden where the gay pretty girl had held her little court, and queened it over the grave, silent man.
From The Lady of the Basement Flat by Earnshaw, Elizabeth
Kxg2 b5!, and White resigns as he has no pawn on b2 to stop Black’s a-pawn from queening after 49. axb5 a4.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 29, 2022
Qxh7 picks off the piece while retaining control of the b1 queening square.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2021
Black’s bishop pair and passed queenside pawns make the win more difficult, but Short navigates the tactical shoals to bring home the point while keeping the Black b-pawn from queening.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2021
Bb6!, and now the White a-pawn has a clear path to the queening square.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 10, 2021
She assumed at once the dispensation of the honors, and beautiful she looked with her snowy dress and raven ringlets flitting across the lawn, and queening it like Perdita among the flowers.
From Stories by American Authors (Volume 4) by Woolson, Constance Fenimore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
