beehive

noun

bee·​hive ˈbē-ˌhīv 

plural beehives

1

: hive sense 1

In the spring, two young grizzly bears, just out of a winter's sleep, … knocked over a half-dozen commercial beehives and fed on the honey and larvae within.

—Jim Robbins

2

: something resembling a hive for bees: such as

a

: a scene of crowded activity

… a beehive of growling trucks, riverboats laden with supplies, helicopters and airplanes buzzing overhead …

—National Geographic

b

: a woman's hairstyle that is conical in shape

She is about sixty-five with hair white as spun sugar, piled up in a beehive hairdo that has been out of style for twenty years.

—W. P. Kinsella

beehive adjective

Examples of beehive in a Sentence

The office was a beehive of activity.

wearing her hair in a beehive

Recent Examples on the Web

This scrutiny was heightened when pictures began to emerge of Abela filming around Soho with the famous Winehouse ‘beehive’. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2024

The models all sport a replica of the bouffant beehive with a straight parting that Aksu’s mother rocked during the cultural decade. —Nina-Sophia Miralles, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

Studies have found that attractants such as orchards, beehives, and cattle and sheep calving areas are associated with encounters between humans and grizzlies. —Benjamin Cassidy, Scientific American, 14 May 2024

The brain is a bit like a beehive, where a neuron is the queen, Macaulay says. —Jon Hamilton, NPR, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beehive

• beehive oven

Kids Definition

beehive

1 of 2 noun

bee·​hive

ˈbē-ˌhīv

1

: hive entry 1 sense 1

2

: hive entry 1 sense 2

a beehive of activity

beehive

2 of 2 adjective

: resembling a dome-shaped beehive