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Definition of hive

hive

/haɪv/
hive

Plural:hives
•
Past Simple:hived
•
Past Participle:hived
•
Present Participle:hiving
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hive Lexical Profile

hive Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A structure, often man-made, designed for housing a swarm of honeybees.

Example

"The beekeeper gently smoked the hive before carefully extracting the honeycombs."


2

A large number of bees living together in a single colony.

Example

"The entire hive worked tirelessly to store enough nectar before the onset of winter."


3

A place swarming with activity and busy people.

Example

"During the holiday season, the kitchen became a hive of intense culinary preparation."

Synonyms
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• verb

1

To separate from a larger group or accumulate into a discrete entity (usually used with 'off').

Example

"The corporation decided to hive off its less profitable divisions to focus entirely on its core operations."


2

To place or gather (bees) into a hive.

Example

"After catching the wild swarm in the orchard, the apiarist carefully hived the bees in a new wooden box."


3

To enter and take possession of a hive (especially of a swarm of bees).

Example

"The bees hived in the hollow of the old oak tree just before the thunderstorm broke."

Synonyms
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• Rhymes for hive

Word Origin & Etymology

From Old English 'hyf', meaning 'beehive', of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse 'húfr' (hull of a ship), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'cup' or 'to contain'.

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Hive. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/hive
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