beehive

noun

bee·​hive ˈbē-ˌhīv 

plural beehives

1

: hive sense 1

In the spring, two young grizzly bears, just out of a winter's sleep, … knocked over a half-dozen commercial beehives and fed on the honey and larvae within.

—Jim Robbins

2

: something resembling a hive for bees: such as

a

: a scene of crowded activity

… a beehive of growling trucks, riverboats laden with supplies, helicopters and airplanes buzzing overhead …

—National Geographic

b

: a woman's hairstyle that is conical in shape

She is about sixty-five with hair white as spun sugar, piled up in a beehive hairdo that has been out of style for twenty years.

—W. P. Kinsella

beehive adjective

Examples of beehive in a Sentence

The office was a beehive of activity.

wearing her hair in a beehive

Recent Examples on the Web

The Trumps later showed off the White House's new beehive to the royal couple. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026

After having tea in the Green Room, the royals went down to the South Grounds to see a new beehive in the shape of the White House that the first lady had installed last week. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

Vegetable gardens and beehives—producing distinctive saltmarsh honey—add to the island’s self-sustaining appeal. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026

Hand-crafted by a local artisan in the shape of the White House, the brand new beehive will add two new bee colonies to the existing two colonies that already produce honey at the White House. —Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beehive

• beehive oven

Rhymes for beehive

• alive
• archive
• arrive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• revive
• survive
• dive
• drive
• five

Kids Definition

beehive

1 of 2 noun

bee·​hive

ˈbē-ˌhīv

1

: hive entry 1 sense 1

2

: hive entry 1 sense 2

a beehive of activity

beehive

2 of 2 adjective

: resembling a dome-shaped beehive