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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Falvey, who works full-time managing Walker's Point bar POP and as a drag queen, Ramona the Drag Queen, is also passionate about interior design. Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 10 Dec. 2025 Always and as a drag queen in last year’s Solo — plays Matthew, a record-store employee and obsessive fan of Archie Madekwe’s emergent pop star Oliver. Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025 The event, which raises money for the HIV/AIDS foundation ACON, was Wicked-themed, and hosted by local drag queens Charisma Bell and DJ Naomi Palmer, who were dressed up as Glinda and Elphaba. Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025 One of my friends who helped do it was Pattie Gonia, the drag queen and activist. Jayme Moye, Outside, 25 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drag queen

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drag queen was circa 1941

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drag queen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drag%20queen. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on drag queen

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!