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 The festival features 24 gardens and plant displays this year, on top of a honeybee exhibit and butterfly house. Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Feb. 2024 In scientific terms, colony collapse disorder is the phenomenon of worker bees leaving a honeybee colony, leaving behind a queen bee, lots of food and some nurse bees to take care of the immature bees. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 New pesticides, combined with other natural phenomena, have resulted in a 60 percent decline in the U.S. honeybee population since the 1940s, according to a report published by the Department of Agriculture in 2017. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023 Morning Experience the buzzing world of honeybees in such a way that only a handful have been exposed to. Anna Haines, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Birds, butterflies, honeybees and mice were among the first animals to have their color vision made accessible to human eyes. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024 The 90-minute documentary on Netflix outlines the honeybee’s global challenges to maintain colonies and the implications that the mysterious disappearance of millions of the pollinators have on mankind. Kimberly Winter Stern, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024 Behavior - Very aggressive around honeybee hives and known for launching swooping attacks on their prey. Drew Kann, ajc, 15 Aug. 2023 The hornets eat a number of arthropods, preferring honeybees, and will even eat dead animals. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2023

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 18 Mar. 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

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