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

During Monday’s debate, board clerk Catherine Morrin asked what purpose a CORI check for drag queens would serve, since parents would be with their children. —Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 6 June 2025

Some contestants, like Victoria Scone, a non-binary drag queen who identifies as female, have even performed as drag kings for lip-syncs as a nod to drag kings. —Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

Visitors can also enjoy pool parties, drag queen Bingo, pageants and more. —Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2025

Forcing drag queens to do math, even simple addition, should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. —Chris Feil, Vulture, 9 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drag queen

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean