honeybee

noun

hon·​ey·​bee ˈhə-nē-ˌbē How to pronounce honeybee (audio)
variants or honey bee
: a honey-producing bee (genus Apis of the family Apidae)
especially : a European bee (A. mellifera) introduced worldwide and kept in hives for the honey it produces

Illustration of honeybee

Illustration of honeybee
  • worker
  • queen
  • drone

Examples of honeybee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Being relatively big and covered in black-and-yellow fuzz allows the world’s roughly 250 bumblebee species to withstand more frigid temperatures than honeybees, which are generally daintier and less hairy, and are not native to North America. Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024 The main problem is the varroa mite, which jumped from the Asian honeybee to the Western honeybee, which was imported from Europe to North American in the 1600s. Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2024 The team found that wing-slapping was the honeybees’ most common strategy against ants. Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 26 July 2024 Comparatively speaking, the sting of a carpenter bee will likely be a bit more painful than getting stung by a honeybee. Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 21 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for honeybee 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'honeybee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of honeybee was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near honeybee

Cite this Entry

“Honeybee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honeybee. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

honeybee

noun
hon·​ey·​bee -ˌbē How to pronounce honeybee (audio)
: a bee that produces honey and lives in colonies
especially : a European bee widely kept in hives for the honey it produces

Medical Definition

honeybee

noun
hon·​ey·​bee ˈhən-ē-ˌbē How to pronounce honeybee (audio)
: a honey-producing bee (Apis and related genera)
especially : a European bee (A. mellifera) introduced worldwide and kept in hives for the honey it produces

More from Merriam-Webster on honeybee

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!