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.

—Lauren 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

After all, drag queens are the original creators, doing everything from deciding and handling outfits and make-ups and beyond. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026

Last October, Miami Beach residents, beachgoers, city officials and drag queens were shocked to see FDOT workers dismantle the rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive and 12th Street which was installed in 2018. —Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

Katya appeared in the season 5 trailer for a brief moment, seemingly wearing Deborah Vance drag, as Smart and Einbinder’s characters rushed the drag queen and started a kerfuffle. —Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026

That same campy, communal energy is what Kane and fellow drag queen Katrina Prowess now bring to the Plaza each month as hosts of WussyVision. —Tess Malone, AJC.com, 7 Apr. 2026

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