queen

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

Examples of queen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

This will be the third time Ryan Murphy has queened out with the Coven. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026

But ultimately, there’s nothing more appealing than a straight guy who can genuinely queen out about the important things in life (the aforementioned celeb goss, duh) without zoning out or seeming patronizing. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2026

Drag Race queens Symone, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Latrice Royale, and Monét X Change all have significant roles. —Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Old English cwēn "woman, wife, queen"