- a black and yellow flying insect that can sting (= touch your skin and make you feel a sharp pain).Bees live in large groups and make honey (= a sweet sticky substance that is good to eat).
- Bees were buzzing in the clover.
- a swarm of bees
- a bee sting
Extra ExamplesTopics Insects, worms, etc.b1- Butterflies, flies and bees pollinate flowers.
- He was stung by an angry bee.
- Lavender attracts bees.
- The bees swarmed around the hive.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bumble
- honey
- killer
- …
- swarm
- attract
- buzz
- hum
- sting (somebody)
- …
- hive
- sting
- keeper
- …
- (North American English) a meeting in a group where people combine work, competition and pleasure
- a sewing bee
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- quilting
- spelling
Word OriginOld English bēo, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bij and German dialect Beie.
Idioms
See bee in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bee in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishas busy as a bee
- very busyMore Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
the bee’s knees
- (informal) an excellent person or thing
- She thinks she's the bee's knees (= she has a very high opinion of herself).
the birds and the bees
- (humorous) the basic facts about sex, especially as told to children
have a bee in your bonnet (about something)
- (informal) to think or talk about something all the time and to think that it is very important
- Our teacher has a bee in his bonnet about punctuation.
Check pronunciation:
bee