hive

hive — noun

1. A container or natural space — such as a wooden box, a straw basket, or a hollow

1.nounB1
Definition

A container or natural space — such as a wooden box, a straw basket, or a hollow tree — that a bee colony lives inside and uses to store honey.

Example

Lara bought a new wooden hive for her garden to help the local bee population.

possessive + new + hive (buying/setting up)

The old hive inside the hollow oak had been there for almost ten years.

Common collocations
  • build a hive
  • check a hive
  • wooden hive
  • hive tool
  • hive box
Synonyms
  • beehive

    more common in everyday speech; identical meaning

  • apiary

    refers to a collection of several hives or a place where hives are kept, not a single hive

Grammar Patterns

a/the hive

possessive + hive

hive + of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used as part of the compound 'beehive,' especially in everyday conversation. Both 'hive' and 'beehive' are interchangeable in most contexts.

Common Mistakes

I bought a hive of bees for honey.
I bought a hive for my bees to live in.
The hive is the structure, not the container the bees come in.

2. The entire community of bees — including the queen, the workers, and the drones

2.nounB2
Definition

The entire community of bees — including the queen, the workers, and the drones — that lives together in one hive and works as a single unit.

Example

The hive worked together to defend its honey stores from a hungry bear.

the hive + collective verb (worked together)

When a hive grows too large, roughly half the bees leave with the old queen to find a new home.

Common collocations
  • the whole hive
  • the hive produces
  • hive population
  • hive collapses
Synonyms
  • colony

    broader term; can refer to other social insects such as ants or termites, not only bees

  • swarm

    refers specifically to a large group of bees that has left the original hive to find a new home

Grammar Patterns

the whole hive

a hive of bees

Usage Note

Can be treated as a singular or plural collective noun depending on context: 'the hive is preparing for winter' (as a unit) vs 'the hive are gathering pollen' (as individuals).

Common Mistakes

The hive are a place made of wax.
The hive is a community of thousands of bees.
When referring to the group as a whole unit, use singular verbs.

3. Red, raised, and intensely itchy bumps that suddenly appear on the skin, usually

3.nounB2
Definition

Red, raised, and intensely itchy bumps that suddenly appear on the skin, usually as a result of an allergic reaction to food, medicine, or insect bites, or sometimes caused by stress or heat.

Example

Within minutes of eating the shrimp, Lien broke out in hives all over her arms and neck.

collocation: break out in hives

The doctor said the hives were caused by an allergy to the new antibiotic prescription.

Common collocations
  • break out in hives
  • get hives
  • hives appear
  • hives spread
  • treat hives
Synonyms
  • urticaria

    the formal medical term; more common in clinical settings than everyday speech

  • rash

    a broader term for any skin irritation; hives are a specific type of rash with raised bumps

  • welts

    emphasises the raised, swollen appearance; often used interchangeably with hives

Grammar Patterns

break out in hives

get hives

a case of hives

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the plural form 'hives.' The singular 'hive' for one red spot is extremely rare and sounds unnatural to native speakers. Medical professionals also use the term 'urticaria.'

Common Mistakes

I have a hive on my arm.
I have hives on my arm.
This condition is nearly always referred to in the plural form, even when describing a small area.

4. A place or situation where many people are moving around and doing things busily

4.nounB2
Definition

A place or situation where many people are moving around and doing things busily at the same time, giving an impression of organised energy and constant motion.

Example

The central market was a hive of activity every Saturday morning.

fixed expression: a hive of activity

The newsroom became a hive of journalists typing furiously as the election results came in.

Common collocations
  • a hive of activity
  • a hive of industry
  • a hive of commerce
  • become a hive
Synonyms
  • hub

    focuses on the role of a central meeting point rather than the busy energy itself

  • hotbed

    usually implies intense, often secret or controversial, activity rather than ordinary busyness

  • beehive

    can be used in the same way, e.g. 'a beehive of activity'; slightly less common but perfectly natural

Antonyms
  • ghost town

    informal; describes an empty, abandoned place with no activity

Grammar Patterns

a hive of + noun (activity, industry, commerce)

Usage Note

Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'a hive of activity' or 'a hive of [noun describing busy work].' Rarely used outside this structure without sounding awkward.

Common Mistakes

The office was a hive.
The office was a hive of activity.
The word alone sounds incomplete; it needs the 'of…' phrase to convey the sense of busy energy.

hive — verb

Word family

  • beehive
    nounB1
  • hived
    adjectiveC1
  • hiving
    adjectiveC1
  • hives
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hive and beehive are interchangeable for the structure itself, though 'beehive' is more common in casual conversation ('there's a beehive in that tree') while 'hive' is the standard term among beekeepers and in formal writing ('the hive needs inspection'). Apiary refers to a collection of multiple hives kept in one location — you would not call a single hive an apiary. A backyard beekeeper might say 'I have two hives in my apiary' to distinguish the structure from the site. If you are referring to the object bees live inside, use 'hive' or 'beehive'; if you mean the whole beekeeping setup with several boxes, use 'apiary.'

hive ↗beehive ↗apiary

Common collocations

Phrases

  • hive of activity
  • hive of industry
  • hive off (business)

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Old English 'hȳf' meant a beehouse or basket for bees. It comes from the Proto-Germanic root '*hūfiją', and is related to Old Norse 'húfr' (a ship's hull) and Latin 'cūpa' (a tub or cask) — all suggesting a hollow container. The word has been used for the bee structure since before the 9th century. After the 1600s it gained the metaphorical senses of a busy place ('hive of activity') and the skin condition ('hives'), the latter named because the raised bumps resemble the clustered appearance of bees on a comb.