honeybee

noun hon·ey·bee \ ˈhə-nē-ˌbē \

variants: or honey bee

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Definition of honeybee

: 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

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See honeybee defined for kids

Recent Examples of honeybee from the Web

Those bees are 20 to 30 times more aggressive than common honeybees, KFOX said.

— crystal hill, star-telegram, "‘A black cloud’: 81-year-old man says he was attacked by swarm of bees — and survived," 4 July 2018
Stranger still, honeybees continue dying even though colony collapse disorder peaked quickly and has been on the wane.

— thor hanson, WSJ, "The Plight of the Humble Bee," 29 June 2018
Taking advantage of a new Elgin ordinance that allows beekeeping, the hospital has added two honeybee hives to the natural prairie portion of its community garden as a means of not only producing honey but also encouraging bee pollination of plants.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Sherman Hospital adds beehives to its community garden," 2 June 2018
The City Beautiful’ on his fruit and vegetable groves, where honeybees pollinated the crops.

— george fishman, miamiherald, "This art speaks to the heart. Even when you can see through it. | Miami Herald," 8 May 2018
Scientists cannot even say why the Carolina parakeet went extinct, though deforestation, disease, persecution by farmers and competition from honeybees are all possibilities.

— ben crair, Smithsonian, "Why Did the Carolina Parakeet Go Extinct?," 19 Apr. 2018
Instead, honeybees need plenty of high-nectar forage like clover, buckwheat, goldenrod, and flowering trees.

— rebecca straus, Good Housekeeping, "6 Things You Need To Know About Organic Beekeeping Before Starting A Backyard Hive," 16 Feb. 2017
And not just any kind of honeybees — these bees are Italian.

— deasia paige, Detroit Free Press, "Here's why 100,000 Italian honeybees are headed to Detroit," 21 June 2018
Always-frantic honeybees, however, are a delight when their fuzzy little bodies are filmed up close.

— the editors, Outside Online, "The Definitive Ranking of the Best Animal Livestreams," 14 June 2018

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

Illustration of honeybee

First Known Use of honeybee

15th century

in the meaning defined above

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HONEYBEE Defined for English Language Learners

honeybee

noun

Definition of honeybee for English Language Learners

: a bee that makes honey

HONEYBEE Defined for Kids

honeybee

noun hon·ey·bee \ ˈhə-nē-ˌbē \

Definition of honeybee for Students

: a bee whose honey is used by people as food

Medical Dictionary

honeybee

noun hon·ey·bee \ ˈhən-ē-ˌbē \

medical Definition of honeybee

: 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