hive

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a container for housing honeybees
b
: the usually aboveground nest of bees
2
: a colony of bees
3
: a place swarming with activity
hiveless adjective

hive

2 of 2

verb

hived; hiving

intransitive verb

1
of bees : to enter and take possession of a hive
2
: to reside in close association

transitive verb

1
: to collect into a hive
2
: to store up in or as if in a hive

Examples of hive in a Sentence

Noun The house was a hive of activity as we prepared for the party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Rockstar beekeeper The beekeeper transferred the insects into a cage to be transported away from the stadium and into one of his personal hives, according to ATPTour.com. Ben Church, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 What do bedbug bites look like? Bedbug bites are small red, itchy bumps sometimes surrounded by blisters or hives. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 In fact, by pollinating flowers, bees help ensure a future population of frankincense trees (bees in turn get the sustenance to make healthy hives). Kate Donnelly, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Representatives Karen Engleman, R-Georgetown, and Edward Clere, R-New Albany, authored the bill that would allow an HOA to regulate honeybee hives, but not prohibit them. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 2024 About two miles from the Fresno orchard where Strehlow’s hives went missing, beekeeper Andy Beld had 96 hives stolen the same night, sometime between 5:30 p.m. and dawn the next day. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 The ad also initially included a version of forgetfulness in which a man, eating peanut butter and covered in hives, forgets his allergy. Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024 These bites typically look like small, red bumps or hives. Maggie O'Neill, Health, 1 Feb. 2024 In an unassuming industrial space in the Salt River neighborhood east of the city—once a hive of textile factories—chef Anwar Abdullatief artfully reimagines Cape Malay staples in an eight-course tasting menu at the Happy Uncles, Cape Town's first halal fine-dining restaurant. Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hȳf; perhaps akin to Old Norse hūfr ship's hull, Latin cūpa tub, Sanskrit kūpa cave

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hive was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hive

Cite this Entry

“Hive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hive. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hive

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a container for housing honeybees
b
: the usually aboveground nest of bees
c
: a colony of bees
2
: a place swarming with busy occupants

hive

2 of 2 verb
hived; hiving
1
a
: to collect into a hive
hive bees
b
: to enter and take over a hive or nesting place
2
: to live or gather in close association

Medical Definition

hive

noun
: the raised edematous red patch of skin or mucous membrane characteristic of hives : an urticarial wheal

More from Merriam-Webster on hive

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