hive

/haɪv/

/haɪv/

Other forms: hives; hived; hiving

A hive can be a home for bees. It’s also a whole bunch of something moving around — like a hive of eager students — which is related to the fact that so many bees live in a hive.

The word hive is most recognizable as a place where bees live, but it can be a verb that means to move together as one, like a swarm of bees. It can also describe storing a lot of things in a confined space, the way bees are packed into a hive. You might hive your stamp collection in boxes in the attic, but if bees have built a hive in the eaves you won't be able to get to them.

Definitions of hive

1. noun

   a structure that provides a natural habitation for bees; as in a hollow tree
   synonyms: beehive

   type of:

   nest

   a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
2. noun

   a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees
   synonyms: beehive

   types:

   skep

   a domed beehive made of twisted straw

   type of:

   receptacle

   a container that is used to put or keep things in
3. noun

   a teeming multitude
   type of:

   concourse, multitude, throng

   a large gathering of people
4. verb

   gather into a hive
   “The beekeeper hived the swarm”

   type of:

   collect, garner, gather, pull together

   assemble or get together
5. verb

   store, like bees
   “bees hive honey and pollen”

   “He hived lots of information”

   type of:

   hive away, lay in, put in, salt away, stack away, stash away, store

   keep or lay aside for future use
6. verb

   move together in a hive or as if in a hive
   “The bee swarms are hiving”

   type of:

   assemble, foregather, forgather, gather, meet

   collect in one place