drag queen

noun

plural drag queens

: a person and especially a man who performs as an entertainer in usually female drag (see drag entry 3 sense 2a)

Drag queens, who are traditionally male, dress in "drag" as female characters.

—Lauren Wavra

For the past decade, (basically since RuPaul started Drag Race) traditional drag queens (ie, cis men performing as female characters) have been blowing up in the popular zeitgeist …

—Brittany Knupper

Drag is not simply female impersonation, but involves drag queens exaggerating femininity and drag kings exaggerating masculinity.

—Shannon Kelly

[Victoria] Sin is a female-bodied non-binary drag queen, examining how Western ideals of femininity are produced and consumed.

—Amrou Al-Kadhi

They are a black, non-binary drag queen with a beard in a part of the country that has a reputation for being anti-LGBTQ+.

—Bailey Shelton

Examples of drag queen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The American singer, actor and drag queen gained a diehard fan base after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season three. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

Little Richard Little Richard, a former teenage drag queen (performing as Princess Lavonne) from the deep south, catapulted himself onto the American pop music scene in the 1950s with a signature blend of gospel, blues, and a fearless attitude. — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

Another speaker raised concerns about the event being advertised as open to all ages, including children, and having a drag queen host. — Nina Burns, CBS News, 27 June 2026

Proof is inviting, promoting and partnering with a drag queen named Peaches Christ. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drag queen

• acridine
• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene