any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebees, honeybees, etc.
the common honeybee, Apis mellifera.
a community social gathering in order to perform some task, engage in a contest, etc.: a sewing bee; a spelling bee; a husking bee.
Idioms for bee
have a bee in one's bonnet,
to be obsessed with one idea.
to have eccentric or fanciful ideas or schemes: Our aunt obviously has a bee in her bonnet, but we're very fond of her.
put the bee on, Informal. to try to obtain money from, as for a loan or donation: My brother just put the bee on me for another $10.
the bee's knees, Older Slang. (especially in the 1920s) a person or thing that is wonderful, great, or marvelous: Her new roadster is simply the bee's knees.
Origin of bee
1
before 1000; Middle English be(e); Old English bīo, bēo; cognate with Dutch bij,Old Saxon bī, bini,Old High German bīa, bini (German Biene), Old Norse bȳ; with other suffixes, Lithuanian bìtė, OPruss bitte, OCS bĭchela,Old Irish bech;*bhi- is a North European stem with the same distribution as wax1, apple; put the bee on probably an allusion to sting in sense “dupe, cheat”
Also called bee block. Nautical. a piece of hardwood, bolted to the side of a bowsprit, through which to reeve stays.
Obsolete. a metal ring or bracelet.
Origin of bee
2
before 1050; Middle English beh ring, Old English bēag, bēah; cognate with Old Frisian bāg,Old Saxon, Middle Low German bōg,Old High German boug,Old Norse baugr,Sanskrit bhoga-; akin to bow1
Experts suggest that at best, a workplace with no interaction between siloed groups—creative with finance, for example—can make people feel more like worker bees.
Remote workers want to re-create those watercooler moments, virtually|Tanya Basu|August 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Then the team estimated what percentage of the yield native bees were adding — versus just doing what honeybees would have done anyway.
Wild bees add about $1.5 billion to yields for just six U.S. crops|Susan Milius|August 4, 2020|Science News
On hot days, for instance, it releases higher levels of thymol — amounts that might harm bees.
For teens, big problems may lead to meaningful research|Carolyn Wilke|July 28, 2020|Science News For Students
In such mass attacks, hornets bite the heads off adult bees.
What you need to know about ‘murder hornets’|Susan Milius|July 20, 2020|Science News For Students
Worker ants and bees can be nonreproductive members of social-colony “superorganisms.”
What Is an Individual? Biology Seeks Clues in Information Theory.|Jordana Cepelewicz|July 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
How could anyone think that their dislike of the Bee Gees made anything about Disco Demolition Night acceptable?
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage|Arthur Chu|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If someone put a gun to your head and said, ‘Find the Bee Gees in 30 seconds,’ you could do it.
The Stacks: The Inimitable Albert Brooks Caught at the Dawn of His Movie Career|Paul Slansky|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After determining that the bee pollen and mushroom broth were inedible, the “detox” quickly went downhill.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs|Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Bee Pollen juice looked appetizing and resembled a juice I routinely enjoy that consists of pineapple, apple, and lime.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs|Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The other thing the film got wrong was the premise that David was a neophyte, better suited for interviewing the Bee Gees.
The Private David Frost|John M. Florescu|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bee felt sorry that Nelson had overheard what she had said, though indeed there was no harm in it.
Rosy|Mrs. Molesworth
"Surely one good turn deserves another," thought the bee, as she turned merrily to her work.
The Nursery, April 1877, Vol. XXI. No. 4|Various
The bee is little among such as fly; but her fruit is the chief of sweet things.
A Thousand Years of Jewish History|Maurice H. (Maurice Henry) Harris
I have noticed a bird swallow a bee alive, and have also seen one stung, but no ill effects resulted.
Wild Ducks|W. Coape Oates
At present, the amount of money invested in bees and bee appliances is not less than one hundred million dollars.
Bee Hunting|John Ready Lockard
British Dictionary definitions for bee (1 of 4)
bee1
/ (biː) /
noun
any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, which includes social forms such as the honeybee and solitary forms such as the carpenter beeSee also bumblebee, mason bee Related adjective: apian
busy beea person who is industrious or has many things to do
have a bee in one's bonnetto be preoccupied or obsessed with an idea
Word Origin for bee
Old English bīo; related to Old Norse bӯ, Old High German bīa, Dutch bij, Swedish bi
British Dictionary definitions for bee (2 of 4)
bee2
/ (biː) /
noun
a social gathering for a specific purpose, as to carry out a communal task or hold competitionsquilting bee
See spelling bee
Word Origin for bee
C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English bēn boon
British Dictionary definitions for bee (3 of 4)
bee3
/ (biː) /
noun
nauticala small sheave with one cheek removed and the pulley and other cheek fastened flat to a boom or another spar, used for reeving outhauls or stays
Word Origin for bee
Old English bēag; related to Old High German boug ring, Old Norse bogi a bow
British Dictionary definitions for bee (4 of 4)
BEE
abbreviation for(in South Africa)
Black Economic Empowerment: a government policy aimed at encouraging and supporting shareholding by black people