hive

noun \ ˈhīv \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of hive

1 a : a container for housing honeybees

b : the usually aboveground nest of bees

2 : a colony of bees

3 : a place swarming with activity

—

hiveless

play \ˈhīv-ləs\ adjective

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Examples of hive in a Sentence

The house was a hive of activity as we prepared for the party.

Recent Examples of hive from the Web

Pilot programs that would allow residents to keep backyard chickens or bee hives are working their way through the approval process in Lake Bluff.

— mark lawton, chicagotribune.com, "Lake Bluff considers allowing residents to keep backyard chickens and bees," 31 Aug. 2017
Many commercial beekeepers move their hives around the country, following seasons and crops.

— National Geographic, "Beekeepers Sweeten Solar Sites With the 'Tesla of Honey'," 24 June 2017
The bees used in the photo came from a hive Mueller had captured earlier in the day.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "This pregnant beekeeper posed with 20,000 bees for her maternity photos," 1 Sep. 2017
The truck, hauling hundreds of hives, ran off the freeway when traffic came to a halt and crashed, spilling the bees, the report said.

— robert rhoden, NOLA.com, "Millions of bees euthanized after California truck crash: report," 4 Nov. 2017
Of those, a skin rash, hives, and pain at the injection site are more common.

— korin miller, SELF, "How Much Do You Need to Worry About MRI Contrast, Really?," 3 Nov. 2017
At their bright and airy design studio in Beverly Grove, a hive of activity is happening for the 20 employees of the Great.

— melissa magsaysay, latimes.com, "Emily Current and Meritt Elliott offer a 'worn and worked' vibe with their L.A. women's brand," 3 Nov. 2017
Check out a few choice reactions from the Twitter 'hive below.

— stacey leasca, Glamour, "It's Official: Beyoncé Will Play Nala in the Live-Action Lion King," 1 Nov. 2017
Propolis, which is said to have medicinal properties, is used by the insects to seal cracks in the hive.

— anne schamberg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Could you live on what you can grow? This family is trying," 10 Oct. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of hive

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hive

verb

Definition of hive

hived; hiving

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

See hive defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of hive from the Web

Urban donates the honey from the Let's Grown Akron hives to sell at the farmers market to support the organization and provide a healthy sugar alternative.

— megan becka, cleveland.com, "Urban Honey Bee thrives thanks to Akron business partnerships," 2 Apr. 2018
Instead what is most often advocated is hiving off as much political life as possible from the influence of ignorant voters and giving it to experts instead.

— sheri berman, Washington Post, "Some argue that the West should limit democracy to save liberalism. Here’s why they’re wrong.," 18 July 2017
Southern drug store chain Fred’s, which had stood to gain national scale by buying the stores that Walgreens was hiving off to satisfy possible antitrust concerns, also fell 22%.

— alan murray, Fortune, "CEO Daily: Friday, 30th June," 30 June 2017
Starboard Value LP took a stake and called on Macy’s to hive off its valuable real estate, which the activist investor says is worth more than $20 billion.

— dow jones news service, Twin Cities, "Saks owner Hudson’s Bay makes takeover approach to Macy’s," 3 Feb. 2017