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
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Sisters Pizza hosts an annual neighborhood holiday party in Hillcrest, with drag queens and carolers and sponsors events benefitting HIV and AIDS prevention and education. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025 The event is also accompanied by performances by other drag queens, male dancers and other entertainers. Kate Perez, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025 This year's cast also features a handful of other reality luminaries — Dancing With the Stars' Mark Ballas and Top Chef's Kristen Kish — and a motley assortment of actors (Stephen Colletti, Michael Rapaport), Olympic figure skaters (Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski), and drag queens (Monét X Change). Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025 Several celebrities will also join Anthony to present the trophies, including Paris Hilton, Olympian Jordan Chiles and drag queen Trixie Mattel. Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Drag queen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drag%20queen. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

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