bumblebee
noun
bum·ble·bee
ˈbəm-bəl-ˌbē 
variants
or less commonly bumble bee
: any of numerous large robust hairy social bees (genus Bombus)
Examples of bumblebee in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Share [Findings] An extinction-risk model was found to work well for bumblebees.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Honeybees are known to take resources from and carry diseases that can infect native bees, such as the rusty patched or common eastern bumblebees, suppressing their populations.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Butterflies and other pollinators flutter above the tall grass, and the bumblebees from her apiary hover among stalks of chamomile and milkweed.
—Alice Newell-Hanson, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023
Make sure to also click that little bumblebee icon next to my thing, by the way.
—Django Gold, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2023
Half a century later, Tallamy is alarmed by the loss of insect abundance and diversity on nearly every continent, from butterflies and bumblebees to tiger beetles and aquatic insects such as stone flies.
—Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023
For example, when fat bumblebees were trained to fly and then walk through a slit in a board to get to food on the other side, the bees turned their bodies sideways and tucked in their legs.
—Stephen Buchmann, The Conversation, 17 May 2023
Being small isn’t always easy for the bumblebee bat, whose populations are suffering from disruptions caused by fertilizer collection, mining and tourism.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2023
During the first half of that, my attention went mainly to large, visible creatures like bears, crocodiles and bumblebees and to wild places like the Amazon jungle and the Sonoran Desert.
—David Quammen, New York Times, 25 July 2023
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Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Honeybees are known to take resources from and carry diseases that can infect native bees, such as the rusty patched or common eastern bumblebees, suppressing their populations.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Butterflies and other pollinators flutter above the tall grass, and the bumblebees from her apiary hover among stalks of chamomile and milkweed.
—Alice Newell-Hanson, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023
Make sure to also click that little bumblebee icon next to my thing, by the way.
—Django Gold, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2023
Half a century later, Tallamy is alarmed by the loss of insect abundance and diversity on nearly every continent, from butterflies and bumblebees to tiger beetles and aquatic insects such as stone flies.
—Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023
For example, when fat bumblebees were trained to fly and then walk through a slit in a board to get to food on the other side, the bees turned their bodies sideways and tucked in their legs.
—Stephen Buchmann, The Conversation, 17 May 2023
Being small isn’t always easy for the bumblebee bat, whose populations are suffering from disruptions caused by fertilizer collection, mining and tourism.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2023
During the first half of that, my attention went mainly to large, visible creatures like bears, crocodiles and bumblebees and to wild places like the Amazon jungle and the Sonoran Desert.
—David Quammen, New York Times, 25 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bumblebee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1530, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Bumblebee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumblebee. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
bumblebee
noun
bum·ble·bee
ˈbəm-bəl-ˌbē
: any of numerous large hairy social bees
More from Merriam-Webster on bumblebee
Nglish: Translation of bumblebee for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bumblebee
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