1
: any of numerous hymenopterous insects (superfamily Apoidea) that differ from the related wasps especially in the heavier hairier body and in having sucking as well as chewing mouthparts, that feed on pollen and nectar, and that store both and often also honey see africanized bee, bumblebee, carpenter bee, honeybee, sweat bee
2
: an eccentric notion : fancy
: the letter b
: a gathering of people for a specific purpose
a quilting bee
bachelor of electrical engineering
Synonyms
Examples of bee in a Sentence
Noun (1)
she got a sudden bee to quit her job and move to South Carolina
Recent Examples on the Web
Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Spoiler alert: This week, the city passed an Animal Keeping Ordinance, a proposal that has been in the works for more than a decade and will allow residents to raise bees, chickens and ducks.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 14 Nov. 2024
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's bid to power artificial intelligence systems with nuclear energy has apparently been derailed by a species of rare bees.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
The trail is a simple, easy trip around the water, ducking in and out of pines and over the dams where blooming shrubs attract swarms of butterflies, bees and dragonflies.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bee 
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Noun
Insects with true color vision—like many bees, butterflies and dragonflies—can see not only many colors, but also ultraviolet wavelengths beyond the visible spectrum of humans.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Spoiler alert: This week, the city passed an Animal Keeping Ordinance, a proposal that has been in the works for more than a decade and will allow residents to raise bees, chickens and ducks.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 14 Nov. 2024
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's bid to power artificial intelligence systems with nuclear energy has apparently been derailed by a species of rare bees.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
The trail is a simple, easy trip around the water, ducking in and out of pines and over the dams where blooming shrubs attract swarms of butterflies, bees and dragonflies.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bee
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Cite this Entry
“Bee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bee. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bee
1 of 2 noun
: any of numerous insects (as the honeybees and bumblebees) that feed on pollen and nectar and sometimes produce honey and that differ from the wasps especially in the heavier hairier body and in having sucking as well as chewing mouthparts
bee
2 of 2 noun
: a gathering of people for a specific purpose
a quilting bee
Etymology
Noun
Old English bēo "bee"
Noun
perhaps from a dialect word been "help given by neighbors," derived from Old English bēn "prayer"
Medical Definition
bee
noun
: honeybee
broadly
: any of numerous hymenopteran insects (superfamily Apoidea) that differ from the related wasps especially in the heavier hairier body and in having sucking as well as chewing mouthparts, that feed on pollen and nectar, and that store both and often also honey see africanized bee
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