hive

1 of 2

noun

ˈhīv 

1

a

: a container for housing honeybees

b

: the usually aboveground nest of bees

2

: a colony of bees

3

: a place swarming with activity

hiveless

ˈhīv-ləs 

adjective

hive

2 of 2

verb

hived; hiving

intransitive verb

1

of bees : to enter and take possession of a hive

2

: to reside in close association

transitive verb

1

: to collect into a hive

2

: to store up in or as if in a hive

Examples of hive in a Sentence

Noun

The house was a hive of activity as we prepared for the party.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her bees are tended by her kooky beekeeper, who obviously does all the hive maintenance until Meghan shows up for the fun parts, such as when the honey gets scraped from the combs. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025

Later, Meghan scrapes the honey off the hive frame, clearly in awe of the whole process, and sieves it to get rid of the honeycomb. —Issy Ronald, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025

Jason Statham is returning to the hive for a sequel to action thriller The Beekeeper. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025

California farmers combat rise in hive theft, threatening almond crop, via Jake Goodrick. —Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hȳf; perhaps akin to Old Norse hūfr ship's hull, Latin cūpa tub, Sanskrit kūpa cave

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing hive

• hive mind
• hive off

Rhymes for hive

• dive
• drive
• five
• jive
• live
• strive
• thrive
• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive

Kids Definition

hive

1 of 2 noun

ˈhīv 

1

a

: a container for housing honeybees

b

: the usually aboveground nest of bees

c

: a colony of bees

2

: a place swarming with busy occupants

hive

2 of 2 verb

hived; hiving

1

a

: to collect into a hive

hive bees

b

: to enter and take over a hive or nesting place

2

: to live or gather in close association

Medical Definition

hive

noun

ˈhīv 

: the raised edematous red patch of skin or mucous membrane characteristic of hives : an urticarial wheal