What does hive mean?
A hive is the shelter where bees live, especially a constructed box or other enclosure designed for a bee colony. The word can also refer collectively to the bees themselves. In figurative use, a place filled with people and constant movement may be described as a hive or “a hive of activity,” suggesting a busy, tightly connected community. As a verb, hive can mean to place or shelter bees in a hive and, in extended use, to gather in a group. The word is common in both British and American English. It is especially useful when describing not merely a crowded place but one organized around constant shared activity, as in a productive workplace or a bustling market.
A structure in which bees live, or a colony of bees regarded collectively.
"The beekeeper opened the hive to check on the queen and the developing brood."
In extended figurative use, “hive” can describe a crowded, busy group of people or a place full of coordinated activity.
To shelter or place bees in a hive, or to gather together in a group.
"The farmer hived the bees after moving the colony to a new location."
The verb is less common than the noun and is especially associated with the handling or relocation of bee colonies.
The standard plural of “hive” is “hives,” used for multiple bee shelters, colonies, or figurative groups.
"The farm has several hives scattered across the orchard."
A hive is more than a box for bees: it is a living, intensely organized city whose members work together with remarkably coordinated purpose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hive come from?
The word descends from Old English “hyf,” used for a hollow place, shelter, or bee dwelling. It continued in Middle English and later developed into the modern spelling and senses of a bee shelter and, figuratively, a busy collective group. The precise prehistoric origin of the Old English word is not certain, so it is safer to treat its deeper ancestry as uncertain.
Related word forms
How hive is actually used
The figurative sense “a hive of activity” is common and usually suggests intense, purposeful busyness. “Hive mind” is informal and can refer either to collective thinking or, disparagingly, to unquestioning conformity.
Easily confused with hive
A beehive is specifically the wooden or other constructed container in which bees live, whereas a hive can refer more broadly to the bees' shelter or their social community.