honey
honey — noun
1. A thick, golden-colored sweet liquid made by honeybees using the sugary juices t
A thick, golden-colored sweet liquid made by honeybees using the sugary juices they collect from blossoms, and used by people as a food or natural sweetener.
Lakan stirred a spoonful of honey into his lemon tea instead of sugar.
collocation: a spoonful of honey / honey in tea
The recipe needs two tablespoons of honey to give the sauce a mild sweetness.
Defne bought a jar of local honey from the farmer at the weekend market.
collocation: local honey / a jar of honey
A thin drizzle of honey over fresh yogurt makes a simple, healthy snack.
- raw honey
- pure honey
- local honey
- honey drizzle
- honey glaze
- honey spoon
Common Mistakes
2. A friendly word you say to a person who is important to you — for example, your
A friendly word you say to a person who is important to you — for example, your partner, child, or close friend — to express warm, loving feelings.
Don't worry, honey, the doctor said it's just a mild cold.
term of address at start of sentence
Tariro smiled and whispered, "Thanks for the flowers, honey."
Honey, would you mind picking up some milk on your way home?
collocation: honey used as polite request opener
The elderly couple still call each other "honey" after forty years together.
usage: between long-term partners
- darling
slightly more old-fashioned or romantic; very common in British English
- sweetheart
strongly romantic; can also describe a kind person regardless of relationship
- dear
more formal than 'honey'; common in British letters and polite speech
Usage Note
Commonly used between romantic partners, but also between parents and children or close friends. In British English, 'love' or 'darling' is more typical in some regions. Avoid using with strangers in formal contexts, as it may sound presumptuous.
Common Mistakes
A place where life is comfortable and people have everything they need to be happy and successful, often used to describe a new country or region full of opportunity.
The early settlers described the new continent as a land of milk and honey, rich in resources and fertile soil.
Young people left the village dreaming of a land of milk and honey in the big city.
An imaginary or real place where everything is perfect and people live happily without problems.
Maya thought the new city would be a land of milk and honey.
Is that small island really the land of milk and honey Diego imagined?
honey — verb
1. To add honey to food or drink in order to make it taste sweeter, or to coat some
To add honey to food or drink in order to make it taste sweeter, or to coat something with honey before or during cooking.
Renata honeyed the plain yogurt generously so the children would eat it without complaining.
passive-like: honeyed + direct object
The baker honeyed the tops of the pastries before putting them into the hot oven.
Élise honeyed the warm scones and served them with clotted cream and strawberries.
cooking sequence: honeyed + then served
Before roasting the nuts, Jason honeyed them lightly and sprinkled on some sea salt.
cooking instruction: honey + season then roast
Grammar Patterns
honey + noun phrase
Usage Note
This is a less common verb; in everyday speech, people usually say 'add honey to' or 'sweeten with honey' instead. The verb form is more typical of written recipes or descriptive cooking narratives.
2. To say nice things to someone in a way that is not completely sincere, usually b
To say nice things to someone in a way that is not completely sincere, usually because you want them to do something for you or give you something.
The car salesman honeyed Sivan with praise about her fashion sense before showing her the most expensive models.
pattern: honey [person] with [praise/flattery]
Liam honeyed the manager for weeks before finally asking for a raise.
Shanti knew her colleague was only honeying her to get help with the big project.
pattern: only honeying [person] to [purpose]
The politician honeyed the local journalists before the election with expensive dinners and kind words.
pattern: honey [person] with [things]
- flatter
the standard modern word; can be sincere or insincere depending on context
- butter up
informal phrasal verb; implies obvious, sometimes clumsy flattery for personal gain
- sweet-talk
informal; to persuade someone by using kind, flattering words
Grammar Patterns
honey + noun phrase (person)
Usage Note
Very rare in modern everyday English. The phrases 'butter up,' 'sweet-talk,' or 'flatter' are far more common. This verb sense is mostly found in older literary texts or deliberately formal writing.
3. To use pleasant, flattering talk in a persistent way, in order to persuade someo
To use pleasant, flattering talk in a persistent way, in order to persuade someone to agree with you or do what you want them to do.
Mauricio honeyed and coaxed until his grandmother finally agreed to teach him her secret pie recipe.
intransitive: honeyed + coaxed (paired verbs)
The children honeyed their father into taking them to the amusement park on Saturday.
pattern: honey [person] into [doing something]
Christopher honeyed his way past the security guard by claiming he was a close friend of the owner.
idiom: honey one's way + preposition
Defne honeyed and sweet-talked until the landlord finally agreed to fix the broken heater.
intransitive paired: honeyed + sweet-talked
Grammar Patterns
honey + into + gerund
honey + (prepositional phrase)
Usage Note
Distinguish from verb sense 2 (FLATTER SOMEONE): sense 2 is transitive and focuses on the act of praising someone insincerely. This sense is intransitive and emphasizes the persistent, persuasive process — often involving coaxing or wheedling over time to wear down resistance.
honey — adjective
1. Having a color, taste, texture, or quality that reminds you of honey — for examp
Having a color, taste, texture, or quality that reminds you of honey — for example, golden-yellow in color, sweet in flavor, or smooth and sticky in feel.
The walls of the living room were painted a warm honey color that made the space feel inviting.
collocation: honey color
Kenji's hair had a soft honey shine under the golden afternoon sunlight.
The sauce had a honey texture that coated the back of a spoon evenly.
collocation: honey texture
A honey sweetness filled the kitchen as the cake baked in the oven.
collocation: honey sweetness
- honey color
- honey tone
- honey sweetness
- honey texture
- honey glow
2. Greatly loved and cherished; used in older or poetic language to describe someon
Greatly loved and cherished; used in older or poetic language to describe someone who is very dear to you, often a family member or romantic partner.
Sivan kept a framed photo of her honey child on the shelf above her writing desk.
literary usage: honey + family member
Jason wrote a letter to his honey wife every week while serving overseas in the navy.
The old poet described the village as his honey home, the place where his heart belonged.
poetic usage: honey + home/place
In his memoir, he referred to his grandmother as his honey guide through the difficult years of childhood.
literary: honey + role/person as term of deep affection
Usage Note
This sense is now very rare and sounds old-fashioned or deliberately poetic. In modern English, the noun sense 2 (TERM OF ENDEARMENT) is far more common for expressing affection. You are unlikely to hear this adjective sense in everyday conversation.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words describe sweet liquids, but they come from different sources and have distinct uses. Honey is the only one produced by bees from flower nectar — it is thick, golden, and has a distinctive floral taste. Syrup is a general term for a sweet, thick liquid made by dissolving sugar in water or boiling down plant sap (e.g., maple syrup). Nectar refers specifically to the sugary liquid found inside flowers that bees collect; in a broader sense, it can describe any delicious sweet drink. Molasses is a dark, thick byproduct of sugar refining with a strong, slightly bitter flavor that is less sweet than honey or syrup. In cooking, honey is valued for its natural origin and floral notes, syrup for its neutral sweetness and low cost, and molasses for its deep, robust flavor in baked goods.
Common collocations
Nouns
- honey bee
- honey jar
- honey pot
- honey color
- honey glaze
Phrases
- a land of milk and honey
- as sweet as honey
Prepositions
- with honey
- of honey
Etymology
Honey comes from the Old English word 'hunig,' which goes back to a common Germanic root (compare German 'Honig,' Dutch 'honing'). The word has ancient Indo-European origins — related to Greek 'knēkós' meaning 'pale yellow' and Sanskrit 'kāñcana' meaning 'golden,' both referring to the rich golden color that gives honey its name.