honeycomb

UK: /ˈhʌnikəʊm/ US: /ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/ ,(hun′ē kōm′)

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

hon•ey•comb /ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/   n. [countable]

1. Agriculture a structure made of rows of six-sided wax holes or compartments, formed by bees in their hive for storing honey, pollen, and their eggs.

adj. [before a noun]

2. having the structure or appearance of a honeycomb:
   a honeycomb pattern.

v. [~ + object]

3. to cause to be full of holes or cavities.
4. to penetrate in all parts, esp. so as to weaken:
   The agency was honeycombed with spies.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

hon•ey•comb  (hun′ē kōm′), n. 

1. Agriculture a structure of rows of hexagonal wax cells, formed by bees in their hive for the storage of honey, pollen, and their eggs.
2. a piece of this containing honey and chewed as a sweet.
3. anything whose appearance suggests such a structure, esp. in containing many small units or holes:
   The building was a honeycomb of offices and showrooms.
4. the reticulum of a ruminant.
5. Textiles
   • Also called waffle cloth. a fabric with an embossed surface woven in a pattern resembling a honeycomb.
   • the characteristic weave of such a fabric.

adj. 

6. having the structure or appearance of a honeycomb.

v.t. 

7. to cause to be full of holes;
   pierce with many holes or cavities:
   an old log honeycombed with ant burrows.
8. to penetrate in all parts:
   a city honeycombed with vice.

• Middle English huny-comb, Old English hunigcamb. See honey, comb¹ bef. 1050

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

honeycomb / ˈhʌnɪˌkəʊm/ noun

1. a waxy structure, constructed by bees in a hive, that consists of adjacent hexagonal cells in which honey is stored, eggs are laid, and larvae develop
2. something resembling this in structure or appearance
3. another name for reticulum2

verb (transitive)

1. to pierce or fill with holes, cavities, etc
2. to permeate: honeycombed with spies