drag queen

noun

plural drag queens

: a person and especially a man who performs as an entertainer in usually female drag (see drag entry 3 sense 2a)

Drag queens, who are traditionally male, dress in "drag" as female characters.

—Laura Wavra

For the past decade, (basically since RuPaul started Drag Race) traditional drag queens (ie, cis men performing as female characters) have been blowing up in the popular zeitgeist …

—Brittany Knupper

Drag is not simply female impersonation, but involves drag queens exaggerating femininity and drag kings exaggerating masculinity.

—Shannon Kelly

[Victoria] Sin is a female-bodied non-binary drag queen, examining how Western ideals of femininity are produced and consumed.

—Amrou Al-Kadhi

They are a black, non-binary drag queen with a beard in a part of the country that has a reputation for being anti-LGBTQ+.

—Bailey Shelton

Examples of drag queen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

American audiences first saw the veteran Australian actor as drag queen Mitzi Del Bra in the road comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). —Danny Horn, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2025

After Nikki takes some heat from Wes, Rob calls out Bob the Drag Queen’s habit of deflecting, which causes the drag queen’s mouth to drop wide open. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 16 Jan. 2025

Everyone from drag queens in New York to sorority girls at The University of Alabama wants to be her. —Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2025

For these drag queen guests, Daisy plans a drag show with Keith and Gary. —Emma Soren, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above