beekeeper

noun

bee·​keep·​er ˈbē-ˌkē-pər How to pronounce beekeeper (audio)
: a person who raises bees
beekeeping noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Her husband ran a window-making business and worked on the side as a beekeeper, tending 40 hives. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2022 Lisbet, a beekeeper’s wife, witnesses the frenzy, but is also concerned about the arrival of her sister-in-law, who is returning from the woods after serving a seven-year penance for an unspoken crime. Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2023 American foulbrood disease is one of the worst diagnoses a beekeeper’s brood can get. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 12 Jan. 2023 One morning in the fall of 2019, Zach Techner stepped into a heavily woven white beekeeper’s suit, pulled on rubber boots and thick orange gloves, and wrapped duct tape around his cuffs and along the zipper. Hannah Hoag, Quartz, 16 Nov. 2020 And while some hotels harvest and use their honey at their spa or restaurant, the Mercer in New York, which installed hives on its roof last spring with beekeeper Ian Sklarsky, prefers to just let its 70,000 bees be. Eunica Escalante Zoe Ruffner Juan A. Ramírez Abid Haque Angela Koh Devorah Lev-tov, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2023 Among the local favorites offered year-round is honey from the on-site hives tended by beekeeper Mike Rusnak, of Glenwood. Bill Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 Dec. 2022 When queen bees are shipped to a beekeeper, they are typically placed in a small cage with 50 to 200 worker bees that have been fed something called queen candy. Jennie L. Durant, The Conversation, 20 Jan. 2023 For example, if the weather is too humid, the bees may struggle to lower the water content of their honey sufficiently and a beekeeper may decide to remove it to try evaporating the remaining water themself. Darren Incorvaia, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beekeeper.' 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

1783, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beekeeper was in 1783

Dictionary Entries Near beekeeper

Cite this Entry

“Beekeeper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beekeeper. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

beekeeper

noun
bee·​keep·​er ˈbē-ˌkē-pər How to pronounce beekeeper (audio)
: a person who raises bees
beekeeping noun

More from Merriam-Webster on beekeeper

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