honeybee

noun

hon·​ey·​bee ˈhə-nē-ˌbē 

variants or honey bee

: a honey-producing bee (genus Apis of the family Apidae)

especially : a European bee (A. mellifera) introduced worldwide and kept in hives for the honey it produces

Illustration of honeybee

• worker
• queen
• drone

Examples of honeybee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And because of the smoke, his surviving bees — and the other honeybees and wild bees in the region — are in trouble. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025

Herbicides also harm honeybees, butterflies, and other pollinators through direct contact and/or through long-term impacts on reproduction and development. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025

Pollinating insects, especially non-native honeybees, are important for food crops. —Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025

At Michigan State University’s Pollinator Performance Center, researchers are enlisting an unusual ally in their efforts to protect honeybees from a deadly bacterial disease, a nine-year-old English springer spaniel named Maple. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for honeybee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

honeybee

noun

hon·​ey·​bee -ˌbē 

: a bee that produces honey and lives in colonies

especially : a European bee widely kept in hives for the honey it produces

Medical Definition

honeybee

noun

hon·​ey·​bee ˈhən-ē-ˌbē 

: a honey-producing bee (Apis and related genera)

especially : a European bee (A. mellifera) introduced worldwide and kept in hives for the honey it produces