bee
A small flying insect that can sting, visits flowers, and makes honey.
A small flying insect with a stinger that collects nectar and pollen from flowers and is known for making honey and living in organized colonies.
A game or contest where people, usually students, stand up and spell words or answer questions, and one person wins.
A competition, especially for schoolchildren, in which participants take turns spelling words or answering questions in front of an audience until one winner remains.
A meeting where people come together to do work, like sewing or cleaning, and also enjoy being social.
A social gathering at which friends, neighbors, or community members meet to work together on a shared task, such as sewing, quilting, or cleaning.
- Base: bee
- Plural: bees
drone bee
1lazy person who relies on others
A person who does little or no work and depends on other people, like a lazy member of a group.
- He doesn't want to be a drone bee living off his parents forever.
- The novel describes the upper class as drone bees who benefit from others' labor.
- They criticized him as a drone bee in the organization, taking credit but not helping.
have a bee in one's bonnet
1be oddly obsessed with one idea
To keep thinking and talking about one idea, often in an unusual or annoying way.
- He's got a bee in his bonnet about moving to the countryside.
- She has a bee in her bonnet about everyone eating more healthily.
- My uncle gets a bee in his bonnet about politics every election year.
make a beeline for
1go straight toward something quickly
To go very quickly and directly toward someone or something, without stopping.
- As soon as she arrived at the party, she made a beeline for the snack table.
- He made a beeline for the exit when the meeting finally ended.
- The kids made a beeline for the swimming pool as soon as it opened.
quilting bee
1social gathering to make quilts
A social meeting where people come together to make quilts, often talking and helping each other.
- The town museum hosts a monthly quilting bee to keep traditional skills alive.
- She learned how to sew at her aunt's quilting bee.
- The quilting bee raised money by selling the blankets they finished.
sewing bee
1social meeting to sew together
A small social meeting where people sit together and sew things, often for fun or for charity.
- The community center runs a weekly sewing bee to make clothes for charity.
- My grandmother met most of her friends at the church sewing bee.
- They held a sewing bee to make costumes for the school play.
spelling bee
1competition where people spell words
A school or community contest where people stand up and spell words, and one person wins.
- Our daughter qualified for the national spelling bee.
- The school holds a spelling bee every spring to encourage students to learn new words.
- He watched old spelling bee videos online to prepare for the contest.
the bee's knees
1something or someone excellent
Something or someone that is very good or the best (old‑fashioned, playful).
- He thinks his new sports car is the bee's knees.
- Back then, that tiny portable radio was the bee's knees.
- She told him he was the bee's knees for fixing her computer so quickly.
worker bee
1ordinary hard‑working employee
A person who does a lot of regular work in a company or group but does not have much power.
- I'm just a worker bee here; the managers make all the decisions.
- The company depends on its quiet worker bees who get things done.
- She prefers being a worker bee to being in a high‑pressure leadership role.
busy as a bee
1very busy and hard‑working
Very busy and working hard, with many things to do.
- She's been busy as a bee getting everything ready for the party.
- He was as busy as a bee all weekend, cleaning the house and doing repairs.
- The office is busy as a bee today with everyone rushing to meet the deadline.
busy as a bee
2Very active and hardworking
Working hard and moving around a lot, like a bee.
- She’s been busy as a bee all morning, cleaning the house.
- He’s always busy as a bee when there’s a deadline coming up.
queen bee
1most powerful or popular woman
A girl or woman who is the most powerful or popular person in a group, especially socially.
- In high school she was the queen bee of the cheerleading squad.
- The office queen bee didn't like any new women joining the team.
- That movie is about a queen bee who learns to be kinder to other students.
queen bee
2dominant female leader socially
A woman who has power over others in her group or workplace and likes being in control.
- She acts like the queen bee in our office.
- In high school, she was definitely the queen bee.