Illustration of honeybee
- worker
- queen
- drone
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
Examples of honeybee in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Beekeepers swarmed to the rescue this weekend, saving millions of honeybees after a semi-truck carrying their hives crashed.
—
Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 2 June 2025
From June 2024 to February 2025, the United States suffered its worst commercial honeybee crash on record.
—Joanna Thompson, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025
Pollinators including honeybees, bumblebees, and squash bees, fertilize flowers by transporting pollen from male blooms to female blooms.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2025
The silvery foliage, honeybee in flight, softly dusted purple abundance of calyces, and flowers with beckoning trombone anthers is perfection.
—New York Times Games, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for honeybee
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 2 June 2025
From June 2024 to February 2025, the United States suffered its worst commercial honeybee crash on record.
—Joanna Thompson, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025
Pollinators including honeybees, bumblebees, and squash bees, fertilize flowers by transporting pollen from male blooms to female blooms.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2025
The silvery foliage, honeybee in flight, softly dusted purple abundance of calyces, and flowers with beckoning trombone anthers is perfection.
—New York Times Games, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for honeybee
Cite this Entry
“Honeybee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honeybee. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share