queen

1 of 2

noun

ˈkwēn 

plural queens

1

a

: the wife or widow of a king

b

: the wife or widow of a tribal chief

2

a

: a female monarch

b

: a female chieftain

3

a

: a woman eminent in rank, power, or attractions

a movie queen

b

: a goddess or a thing personified as female and having supremacy in a specified realm

c

: an attractive girl or woman

especially : a beauty contest winner

4

: the most privileged piece of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move in any direction across any number of unoccupied squares

5

: a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a queen

6

: the fertile fully developed female of social bees, wasps, ants, and termites whose function is to lay eggs

7

: a mature female cat kept especially for breeding

8

slang, often disparaging : a gay man

especially : one who is effeminate

9

: drag queen

queen

2 of 2

verb

queened; queening; queens

intransitive verb

1

: to act like a queen

especially : to put on airs

—usually used with it

queens it over her friends

2

: to become a queen in chess

the pawn queens

transitive verb

: to promote (a pawn) to a queen in chess

Synonyms of queen

Noun

• diva
• goddess
• princess

Examples of queen in a Sentence

Noun

She was crowned queen of England.

the reign of Queen Elizabeth

the king and his queen

the queen of the blues

She was voted queen of the prom.

This ship is the queen of all the ocean liners.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

She is considered the Canadian equivalent to the Down Under disco queen Kylie Minogue by some, and recalls a young Taylor Swift for her unabashed earnestness. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

The mountainous stage 20, vying with stage nine for the title of queen stage, posed problems that Mas recognised. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Verb

Host Mariska Hargitay queened out in Marriott bath robes with Jean Smart, rode a horse, and called Jennifer Coolidge a Sea Hag — all in the name of brand integration. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Generations battle using knights and queens half their height on a massive chessboard, and families with young kids unwind at the pool overlooking the Illinois River valley. — Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 9 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English quene, from Old English cwēn woman, wife, queen; akin to Goth qens wife, Greek gynē woman, Sanskrit jani

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing queen

• beauty queen
• closet queen
• drag queen
• drama queen
• queen consort
• queen for a day agreement
• queen for a day letter
• queen mother
• queen of the night
• queen of the night cactus
• queen post
• queen regnant
• queen-size
• queen substance

Rhymes for queen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between
• bromine

Kids Definition

queen

1 of 2 noun

ˈkwēn 

1

: the wife or widow of a king

2

: a woman who rules a kingdom in her own right

3

a

: a woman of supreme rank, power, or attractiveness

a society queen

b

: something thought of as female and being at the top in a particular field

queen of the ocean liners

4

: the most powerful piece in the game of chess

5

: a playing card bearing the figure of a queen

6

: the fertile fully developed female of social bees, ants, and termites whose purpose is to lay eggs

queen

2 of 2 verb

1

: to act like a queen

especially : put on airs

2

: to become or promote to a queen in chess

Etymology

Noun

Old English cwēn "woman, wife, queen"