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

The Dorian’s third-floor outdoor patio includes six beehives and a garden filled with herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and edible flowers. —Sofia Perez, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

The beehives share space with a plain of solar panels, green-roof plantings, and an industrial-strength Tesla megabattery that stores power. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2024

Jolie looks incredible in the film, all angular cheekbones and brocade housecoats, divine in a cat flick eye and beehive in black-and-white flashbacks to her romance with Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer). —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024

Sponsored by Detroit City Council President Pro Tem James Tate, the Animal Keeping Ordinance has legalized the keeping of eight chickens and ducks combined, and four beehives per Detroit household. —Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 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