queen
queen — verb
1. to behave in a superior or demanding way, treating other people as if they were
to behave in a superior or demanding way, treating other people as if they were less important — for example, complaining loudly in a restaurant or giving orders at a social event
Lan started queening it over the waitstaff, sending back dishes for tiny reasons.
fixed phrase: queen it over [someone]
At the office party, Élise queened it and told everyone how to pour the drinks.
Kemi queened it at the hotel, complaining about the pillows and the room temperature.
The producer queened it backstage, refusing to speak to anyone except the lead singer.
informal register
- queen it
- queen it over
- lord it over
same meaning but uses 'lord' instead of 'queen'; both imply domineering behaviour
- put on airs
less confrontational; focuses on showing off rather than bossing others around
- humble oneself
deliberately acting modestly instead of proudly
Grammar Patterns
queen it + (over + [someone])
Usage Note
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'queen it (over someone)'. Informal; often carries a critical tone towards the person being described.
2. in chess, when a pawn reaches the furthest row of the board and changes into a q
in chess, when a pawn reaches the furthest row of the board and changes into a queen, the most powerful piece in the game
Noor moved his pawn forward, and it queened on the very next turn.
If a black pawn reaches the far side of the board, it immediately queens.
intransitive structure: pawn + queens
Dario watched his pawn queen and then attacked his opponent's king from both sides.
Hari's pawn was about to queen, which would give him two queens on the board.
When the last white pawn queened, Beatriz knew she had a clear path to victory.
- pawn queens
- about to queen
- promote
more general chess term; a pawn can promote to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight
Grammar Patterns
pawn + queens
Usage Note
Only a pawn can queen. This sense is intransitive — the pawn is the grammatical subject. Compare with sense 3 (PROMOTE PAWN), where the player performs the action on the pawn.
Common Mistakes
3. in chess, to change one of your pawns into a queen once it reaches the opposite
in chess, to change one of your pawns into a queen once it reaches the opposite side of the board, making your position stronger
Henry queened his pawn and used the extra queen to force checkmate.
transitive: queen + direct object (pawn)
Eric decided to queen the pawn instead of promoting it to a knight.
Mark carefully queened his second pawn, putting his opponent under great pressure.
Caleb queened his pawn and then sacrificed the new queen to win the match.
When a pawn reaches the final row, the player can queen it or choose another piece.
- queen a pawn
- queened his pawn
- promote
more general term; promotion can be to queen, rook, bishop, or knight
Grammar Patterns
queen + noun phrase (the pawn)
Usage Note
The subject is the player who promotes the pawn. Distinguish from sense 2 (PAWN QUEENS), where the pawn itself is the subject of the intransitive verb. Common in chess commentary and instruction.
Common Mistakes
queen — noun
1. a female member of a royal line who governs an independent state as its official
a female member of a royal line who governs an independent state as its official head, or a king's spouse
Queen Tamar of Georgia led her kingdom through a golden age of culture.
title usage: Queen + name of monarch
Lakan read a biography of a famous queen who ruled for over sixty years.
After the ceremony, the queen met with local leaders to discuss the drought.
common noun: the queen as role title
The schoolchildren wrote letters to the queen asking about her daily duties.
Renata asked which queen had built the old stone castle near the river.
- crown someone queen
- become queen
- Queen + Name
- subject
a person under the authority of a monarch
Common Mistakes
2. a woman who is widely recognised as the finest or most outstanding person in a p
a woman who is widely recognised as the finest or most outstanding person in a particular area of activity
Rohan called his sister the queen of the kitchen after she cooked the feast.
pattern: queen of [domain] for top performer
The actress was crowned queen of the film festival for the third time.
Sophia trained for years to become the tennis queen of her generation.
The fashion queen launched her own clothing line for young women.
compound noun: fashion queen
Élise proved she was the queen of the chess club by winning every match.
- queen of comedy
- queen of pop
- queen of the court
- champion
stresses competitive victory rather than general superiority
- star
less formal, emphasises fame rather than skill
- leading figure
neutral and gender-inclusive
Usage Note
Commonly paired with 'of' followed by a domain or field. The subject of the domain is typically a woman, though the pattern 'queen of [area]' is also used metaphorically for places or things.
Common Mistakes
3. the playing piece in chess with the greatest freedom of movement, able to travel
the playing piece in chess with the greatest freedom of movement, able to travel any distance along a straight row, column, or diagonal line on the board
Christopher moved his queen across the board and captured the opponent's knight.
pattern: move + possessive + queen
In chess, the queen is often described as the most powerful piece on the board.
Eri sacrificed her queen early in the game to trap the rival king.
collocation: sacrifice + queen
Reuben studied how to use the queen to control the centre of the board.
Andrei lost his queen in the third move and had to play defensively.
- queen move
- queen sacrifice
- queen's gambit
Usage Note
Frequently appears in chess instruction contexts. Unlike other senses, this one is always a countable game piece and never takes a personal name.
Common Mistakes
4. a playing card that shows a queen's picture and ranks below the king in most car
a playing card that shows a queen's picture and ranks below the king in most card games
Zola drew a queen from the deck and placed it on top of the pile.
pattern: draw + queen
The queen of hearts was the only card Rohan needed to complete his hand.
Roya played the queen of clubs and won the trick by a narrow margin.
If you draw a queen, you get another turn in this card game.
conditional: if you draw + queen, then + result
The beginner confused the queen of spades with the king because of the crown.
- queen of hearts
- queen of spades
- draw a queen
- play a queen
Usage Note
Always takes an article or determiner (a queen, the queen of hearts). The pattern 'queen of [suit]' is the standard way to identify a specific card.
Common Mistakes
5. a single fertile member of a social insect species that produces eggs and mainta
a single fertile member of a social insect species that produces eggs and maintains the population of the hive, nest, or mound
A single queen bee can lay over a thousand eggs in one day during summer.
compound: queen bee / queen ant
The ant colony stopped growing after the queen died in the winter cold.
Workers bring food to the queen ant so she can focus on laying eggs.
Without a queen, a bee colony cannot produce new workers to replace the old ones.
conditional: without a queen + negative result
- queen bee
- queen ant
- queen termite
- queen wasp
Usage Note
Almost always paired with the type of insect in compounds like 'queen bee', 'queen ant', or 'queen termite'. The word 'queen' alone in this sense may confuse readers outside a clear insect context.
Common Mistakes
6. a gay man whose mannerisms and style of dress are noticeably showy or theatrical
a gay man whose mannerisms and style of dress are noticeably showy or theatrical, a term sometimes used as a mildly offensive description
The older man was called a queen by the group, which upset his friend.
used as potentially offensive label
Many younger gay men dislike being called a queen because of the negative meaning.
The documentary explored how the term queen was reclaimed by some in the community.
In the film, a flamboyant character openly called himself a queen with a laugh.
self-identification: call oneself a queen
Usage Note
This sense can be offensive depending on context and intent. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community have reclaimed the word, but outside of in-group usage it is generally considered derogatory. Distinguish from 'drag queen', which refers to a performer who dresses in exaggerated female attire.
Common Mistakes
7. a term used in informal speech, especially by younger people, to describe someon
a term used in informal speech, especially by younger people, to describe someone who has done something admirable or is extremely good at something
Thanks for helping me move, Iris — you are an absolute queen!
informal slang pattern: you're a queen
Daniel finished writing his novel in one month — what a queen!
Kofi's new song is getting huge praise, and fans online keep calling him a queen.
gender-neutral usage: calling a male a queen
When Lakan saved the dog from the busy street, everyone shouted 'Queen!' at him.
Gabriela told Tuan, 'You are a queen for staying up late to help me study.'
Grammar Patterns
be + a + queen
you are a queen / what a queen
Usage Note
Used irrespective of the person's gender — can describe men as well as women. This is a relatively recent slang development and may sound out of place in formal writing.
Common Mistakes
8. a female goddess, or something described as a woman that is thought to be the mo
a female goddess, or something described as a woman that is thought to be the most powerful or important in its area — for example, calling a famous city the queen of the sea, or a flower the queen of the garden
In ancient Roman stories, Venus was the queen of love and beauty.
figurative: the queen of [domain]
The old travel guide described Venice as the queen of the Adriatic Sea.
Many poets have called the moon the queen of the night sky.
This historic hotel was once known as the queen of the Pacific coast.
passive: was known as the queen of [place]
Piotr's grandmother keeps a small statue of the queen of heaven on her shelf.
- queen of the night
- queen of heaven
- queen of the sea
Grammar Patterns
the queen of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Commonly used in literary or formal descriptive writing. The phrase 'the queen of + domain' is the typical grammatical pattern for this sense.
Common Mistakes
9. a fully grown female cat, especially one that is used for producing kittens
a fully grown female cat, especially one that is used for producing kittens
Talia's queen is resting in a warm box with her newborn kittens.
specialized term: a breeding female cat
The breeder told Cyrus that his queen needs extra food while she is nursing.
Yuki adopted a two-year-old queen from the cattery last spring.
This queen has won three first-place ribbons at regional cat competitions.
Caio keeps two queens in his breeding programme, one Siamese and one Persian.
- breed queen
- queen cat
- show queen
- molly
term for a spayed female cat; does not imply breeding
- tom
a male cat, especially an unneutered one
Grammar Patterns
queen + verb
Usage Note
Used mainly by cat breeders and in veterinary contexts. Outside these groups, most speakers simply say 'female cat' or 'molly' (for a spayed female).
Common Mistakes
A person who is thought to be the best or most important in a particular field or place, even without an official title.
Maya is the uncrowned queen of local baking competitions.
Did you know Diego is the uncrowned king of street art in Berlin?
Word family
- queendomnounC2
- queenlyadjectiveC1
- queenlessadjectiveC2
- queenhoodnounC2
- queenshipnounC2
- queen-sizeadjectiveB1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Queen and monarch both refer to the head of a royal family, but monarch is gender-neutral and carries a more formal, constitutional tone — you would say 'the monarch of Sweden' in a textbook but 'the queen of Sweden' in a news report. Sovereign emphasises supreme authority and is used for any royal ruler regardless of gender, though it is less common in everyday speech. Empress specifically denotes the female ruler of an empire, which is typically larger than a kingdom. Ruler is the most general term and can apply to any leader — a president, a dictator, or a monarch — so it lacks the specific legal and ceremonial associations that queen carries. For example: 'Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in British history'; 'The sovereign must approve all new laws'; 'Catherine the Great was empress of Russia, not merely a queen.'
Common collocations
Nouns
- crown (crown someone queen)
- coronation (the queen's coronation)
- throne (ascend to the throne as queen)
Phrases
- drama queen
- queen bee
- queen-size
- queen mother
- beauty queen
- drag queen
Prepositions
- of (queen of England, queen of comedy, queen of hearts, queen of the night)
Etymology
From Old English cwēn ('woman, wife, queen'), from a Proto-Germanic root *kwēniz ('woman'), which traces further back to the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷén-eh₂ — the same source as Greek gunē ('woman', source of 'gynecology') and the second element of English 'quean'.