beehive

UK: /ˈbiːˌhaɪv/ US: /ˈbiˌhaɪv/ ,(bē′hīv′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bee•hive /ˈbiˌhaɪv/   n. [countable]

1. Insects a living place for bees:
   The beehive had become as tall and wide as a person.
2. a crowded, busy place:
   The office had become a beehive of activity.
3. something resembling the shape of a beehive, as a high hairdo.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bee•hive  (bē′hīv′), n. 

1. a habitation or dwelling-place constructed for bees, usually either dome-shaped or box-shaped.
2. Insects a natural habitation of bees, as a hollowed-out tree.
3. a crowded, busy place.
4. something resembling an artificial beehive in appearance, as a hut or hairdo.
5. Metallurgy Also called bee′hive ov′en. an oven for converting coal into coke, characterized by its dome-shaped roof.

• 1325–75; Middle English; see bee¹, hive

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

beehive / ˈbiːˌhaɪv/ noun

1. a construction used to house a swarm of bees
2. a dome-shaped hair style in which the hair is piled high on the head
3. a place where busy people are assembled

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Beehive / ˈbiːˌhaɪv/ noun the Beehive ⇒

1. the dome-shaped building that houses sections of Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand
2. the New Zealand government