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hive

noun
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\ ˈhīv How to pronounce hive (audio) \

Definition of hive

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a container for housing honeybees
b : the usually aboveground nest of bees
2 : a colony of bees
3 : a place swarming with activity

hive

verb
hived; hiving

Definition of hive (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 of bees : to enter and take possession of a hive
2 : to reside in close association

transitive verb

1 : to collect into a hive
2 : to store up in or as if in a hive
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Other Words from hive

Noun

hiveless \ ˈhīv-​ləs How to pronounce hiveless (audio) \ adjective

Examples of hive in a Sentence

Noun The house was a hive of activity as we prepared for the party.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun On a vast, lush-green map, players wind around trees and craggy rock formations to capture three hive hearts before the other team. — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, "Amazon's Crucible Magicks Gaming Clichés Into Something Fresh," 27 May 2020 Removing, or even simply approaching, these hives is dangerous work. — Matt Alt, The New Yorker, "Do “Murder Hornets” Really Exist?," 13 May 2020 Just ask the Clementine Pennyfeather (Angela Sarafyan) hive. — Ashley Hoffman, Time, "Westworld Season 4 Is Happening. Here's Everything We Know So Far," 4 May 2020 The hive owners live in urban areas and lack sufficient land. — cleveland, "Area orchards spring into action to ensure summer fruit, fall favorites," 30 Apr. 2020 Babies tend to have milder allergic reactions to foods than older kids, and symptoms like rash, hives around the face or vomiting (which aren’t life-threatening) are most common. — Alice Callahan, New York Times, "How to Introduce Solid Foods to Your Baby," 17 Apr. 2020 Dara Bliss Davenport, a chef and partner at Loi Brand, notes that the color can vary from bottle to bottle even for honey from the same hive. — Katie Workman, NBC News, "Sustainable, versatile, global, delicious: Honey's got buzz," 24 Feb. 2020 A few years before Delta introduced new uniforms, American and Alaska had rolled out new uniforms by manufacturer Twin Hill that thousands of flight attendants alleged caused a number of illnesses, from severe hives to respiratory problems. — oregonlive, "Flight attendants allege uniforms are making them sick," 14 Jan. 2020 Produced with the assistance of @WillHaskellCT That’s beeswax from the hives on the left. — Eliza Fawcett, courant.com, "Who is Rep. Jim Himes? The sixth-term Connecticut congressman is gaining attention in the impeachment hearings," 20 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of hive

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

History and Etymology for hive

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hȳf; perhaps akin to Old Norse hūfr ship's hull, Latin cūpa tub, Sanskrit kūpa cave

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Time Traveler for hive

Time Traveler

The first known use of hive was before the 12th century

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Statistics for hive

Last Updated

2 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Hive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hive. Accessed 3 Jun. 2020.

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More Definitions for hive

hive

noun
How to pronounce hive (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of hive

: a nest for bees
: the bees living in a hive
: a place filled with busy activity

See the full definition for hive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

hive

noun
\ ˈhīv How to pronounce hive (audio) \

Kids Definition of hive

1 : a container for housing honeybees
2 : the usually aboveground nest of bees
3 : a colony of bees
4 : a place filled with busy people

hive

noun
\ ˈhīv How to pronounce hive (audio) \

Medical Definition of hive

: the raised edematous red patch of skin or mucous membrane characteristic of hives : an urticarial wheal

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More from Merriam-Webster on hive

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hive

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with hive

Spanish Central: Translation of hive

Nglish: Translation of hive for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of hive for Arabic Speakers

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