A queen is a woman who rules a country as its monarch.
...Queen Victoria.
She met the Queen last week.
2. title noun & countable noun
A queen is a woman who is married to a king.
The king and queen had fled.
3. countable noun [noun NOUN]
If you refer to a woman as thequeenof a particular activity, you mean that she is well-known for being very good at it.
...the queen of crime writing. [+ of]
Synonyms: leading light, star, favourite, celebrity More Synonyms of queen
4. See also beauty queen
5. countable noun
A queen is a gay man who dresses and behaves in a feminine way.
[informal]
6. countable noun
In chess, the queen is the most powerful piece. It can be moved in any direction.
7. countable noun
A queen is a playing card with a picture of a queen on it.
...the queen of spades. [+ of]
8. countable noun
A queen or a queen bee is a large female bee which can lay eggs.
More Synonyms of queen
queen in British English
(kwiːn)
noun
1.
a female sovereign who is the official ruler or head of state
2.
the wife or widow of a king
3.
a woman or a thing personified as a woman considered the best or most important of her kind
a beauty queen
the queen of ocean liners
4. slang, sometimes offensive
an effeminate homosexual man
5.
a.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects, such as bees, ants, and termites, from the eggs of which the entire colony develops
b.
(as modifier)
a queen bee
6.
an adult female cat
7.
one of four playing cards in a pack, one for each suit, bearing the picture of a queen
8.
a chess piece, theoretically the most powerful piece, able to move in a straight line in any direction or diagonally, over any number of squares
verb
9. chess
to promote (a pawn) to a queen when it reaches the eighth rank
10. (transitive)
to crown as queen
11. (intransitive) informal, sometimes offensive
(of a gay man) to flaunt one's homosexuality
12. (intransitive)
to reign as queen
13. queen it
Word origin
Old English cwēn; related to Old Saxon quān wife, Old Norse kvæn, Gothic qēns wife
Queen in British English
(kwiːn)
noun
Ellery (ˈɛlərɪ). pseudonym of Frederic Dannay (1905–82) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–71), US co-authors of detective novels featuring a sleuth also called Ellery Queen
queen in American English
(kwin)
noun
1.
a female sovereign or monarch
2.
the wife or consort of a monarch
3.
a woman, or something personified as a woman, that is foremost or preeminent in any respect
a movie queen
a beauty queen
Athens, the queen of the Aegean
4. derogatory, offensive slang
a.
a male homosexual, esp. one who is flamboyantly camp
b. See drag queen
5.
a playing card bearing a picture of a queen
6. Chess
the most powerful piece of either color, moved across any number of empty squares in any direction
7. Entomology
a fertile female ant, bee, termite, or wasp
8.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Q
intransitive verb
9.
to reign as queen
10. (usually fol. by it)
to behave in an imperious or pretentious manner
11. Chess(of a pawn)
to become promoted to a queen after reaching the far side of the board
Derived forms
queenless
adjective
queenlike
adjective
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME quene, quen, OE cwēn woman, queen; c. OS quān, ON kvān, Goth qēns ‹ Gmc *kwēni-; akin to OIr ben, Gk gyne᷄ woman, Russ zhená, Skt jani wife]
Quotations
queen: a woman by whom the realm is ruled when there is a king, and through whom it is ruled when there is notAmbrose BierceThe Devil's Dictionary
Word lists with
queen
terms used in cards, chess, Titles of rulers
In other languages
queen
British English: queen /kwiːn/ NOUN
A queen is a woman who rules a country as its head of state.
The country is ruled by a queen.
American English: queen
Arabic: مَلِكَة
Brazilian Portuguese: rainha
Chinese: 女王
Croatian: kraljica
Czech: královna
Danish: dronning
Dutch: koningin
European Spanish: reina
Finnish: kuningatar
French: reine
German: Königin
Greek: βασίλισσα
Italian: regina
Japanese: 女王
Korean: 여왕
Norwegian: dronning
Polish: królowa
European Portuguese: rainha
Romanian: regină
Russian: королева
Latin American Spanish: reina
Swedish: drottning
Thai: พระราชินี
Turkish: kraliçe
Ukrainian: королева
Vietnamese: nữ hoàng
All related terms of 'queen'
May queen
a girl chosen , esp for her beauty , to preside over May-Day celebrations
queen bee
the fertile female bee in a hive
queen it
to behave in an overbearing manner
Queen Mab
(in British folklore ) a bewitching fairy who rules over people's dreams
drag queen
a man who dresses as a woman and impersonates female characteristics for public entertainment
drama queen
If you call someone a drama queen , you mean they react to situations in an unnecessarily dramatic or exaggerated way.
fairy queen
the queen of the fairies
haul queen
a young woman who displays her recent shopping purchases in films uploaded to video-sharing websites , and is paid according to the advertising revenue those videos generate
Queen-Anne
a style of furniture popular in England about 1700–20 and in America about 1720–70, characterized by the use of unencumbered curves , walnut veneer , and the cabriole leg
queen olive
a variety of olive having large fleshy fruit suitable for pickling , esp one from around Seville in Spain
queen post
one of a pair of vertical posts that connect the tie beam of a truss to the principal rafters
queen-size
A queen-size bed is larger than a double bed, but smaller than a king-size bed.
queen truss
a truss with queen posts
size queen
a person who prefers a sexual partner with a large penis
Snow Queen
→ The Snow Queen
beauty queen
A beauty queen is a woman who has won a beauty contest.
closet queen
a man who is homosexual but is not openly so
pearly queen
the female London costermonger whose ceremonial clothes display the most lavish collection of pearl buttons
queen consort
the wife of a reigning king
queen dowager
the widow of a king
queen mother
The Queen Mother is the mother of a ruling king or queen.
queen regent
a queen who acts as regent
queen regnant
a queen who reigns on her own behalf
Virgin Queen
→ Elizabeth 2
queen substance
a pheromone secreted by queen honeybees and consumed by the workers, in whom it causes suppression of egg-laying
Queen of Sheba
a queen of the Sabeans, who visited Solomon (I Kings 10:1–13)
Queen's Award
either of two awards instituted by royal warrant (1976) for a sustained increase in export earnings by a British firm ( Queen's Award for Export Achievement ) or for an advance in technology ( Queen's Award for Technological Achievement )
Queen's Bench
(in England when the sovereign is female ) one of the divisions of the High Court of Justice
Queen's County
a county of central Republic of Ireland , in Leinster province: formerly boggy but largely reclaimed for agriculture . County town: Portlaoise . Pop: 58 774 (2002). Area: 1719 sq km (664 sq miles)
Queen's Guide
(in Britain and the Commonwealth when the sovereign is female) a Guide who has passed the highest tests of proficiency
Queen's House
→ the Queen's House
queen-size bed
a bed which is larger or longer than normal size but smaller or shorter than king-size
queen's metal
any of several alloys containing antimony and tin and resembling britannia metal
Queen's Scout
(in Britain and the Commonwealth when the sovereign is female) a Scout who has passed the highest tests of endurance , proficiency, and skill
Queen's speech
(in Britain and the dominions of the Commonwealth ) the speech at the opening of each session of Parliament in which the Government outlines its legislative programme. It is read by the sovereign or his or her representative
The Snow Queen
a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen , published in 1845; a young boy , Kay , falls under a troll's spell and his heart is turned to ice. He is carried off by the Snow Queen, who holds him captive until he is rescued by his devoted friend , Gerda
Good Queen Bess
Elizabeth I
Queen Anne's lace
→ wild carrot
Queen Anne style
a style of English architecture of the early 18th cent ., characterized by construction in red brick , forms modified from classical architecture, and simple , elegant , and stately ornamentation
Queen Anne's War
those conflicts (1702–13) of the War of the Spanish Succession that were fought in North America
Queen Maud Land
the large section of Antarctica between Coats Land and Enderby Land: claimed by Norway in 1939. (Claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty of 1959)
Queen Maud Range
a mountain range in Antarctica , in S Ross Dependency , extending for about 800 km (500 miles)
queen of puddings
a pudding made of moist but firm breadcrumb and custard mixture topped with jam and meringue
Queen's Counsel
(in England when the sovereign is female) a barrister or advocate appointed Counsel to the Crown on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor , entitled to sit within the bar of the court and to wear a silk gown
Queen's English
(when the sovereign is female ) standard Southern British English
queen's evidence
(when the sovereign is female) evidence given for the Crown against his or her former associates in crime by an accomplice (esp in the phrase turn queen's evidence )
queen's highway
(in Britain when the sovereign is female ) any public road or right of way
queen-sized bed
A queen-sized bed is larger than a double bed, but smaller than a king-sized bed.
Queen's Messenger
a person who takes dispatches to or from the sovereign
Queen's proctor
(in England when the sovereign is female) an official empowered to intervene in divorce and certain other cases when it is alleged that material facts are being suppressed
Chinese translation of 'queen'
queen
(kwiːn)
n(c)
(= monarch) 女王 (nǚwáng) (位, wèi)
(= king's wife) 王后 (wánghòu) (位, wèi)
the queen of crime fiction侦(偵)探小说(說)之冠 (zhēntàn xiǎoshuō zhī guàn)
the queen of hearts/spades红(紅)桃/黑桃皇后 (hóngtáo/hēitáo huánghòu)
All related terms of 'queen'
Queen Mother
▶ the Queen Mother 太后(後) Tàihòu
Queen Victoria
维(維)多利亚(亞)女王 Wéiduōlìyà nǚwáng
the Queen Mother
太后(後) Tàihòu
God save the Queen!
上帝保佑(祐)女王！ Shàngdì bǎoyòu nǚwáng!
she sounds like the Queen
( in voice, manner ) 她的语(語)气(氣)听(聽)上去像是女皇 tā de yǔqì tīng shàngqù xiàng shì nǚhuáng
the queen of crime fiction
侦(偵)探小说(說)之冠 zhēntàn xiǎoshuō zhī guàn
the queen of hearts/spades
红(紅)桃/黑桃皇后 hóngtáo/hēitáo huánghòu
1 (noun)
Definition
the wife of a king
the time she met the Queen
Synonyms
sovereign
the first British sovereign to set foot on Spanish soil
ruler
He was an indecisive ruler.
monarch
She will never stand down as monarch and we fully support her.
leader
Crown
princess
the Princess of Wales
majesty
head of state
Her Majesty
empress
the title of Empress of India
crowned head
2 (noun)
Definition
a woman, thing, or place considered the best or most important of her or its kind
the queen of crime writing
Synonyms
leading light
star
Not all football stars are ill-behaved louts.
favourite
He was a favourite of the king.
celebrity
At the age of twelve, he was already a celebrity.
darling
He was the darling of the family.
mistress
idol
They cheered as they caught sight of their idol.
big name
all the big names in rock and pop
doyenne
Quotation
queen: a woman by whom the realm is ruled when there is a king, and through whom it is ruled when there is not [Ambrose Bierce – The Devil's Dictionary]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of big name
Definition
a famous person
all the big names in rock and pop
Synonyms
celebrity,
star,
personality,
superstar,
name,
dignitary,
luminary,
bigwig (informal),
celeb (informal),
face (informal),
big shot (informal),
personage,
megastar (informal),
lion,
V.I.P.
in the sense of celebrity
Definition
a famous person
At the age of twelve, he was already a celebrity.
Synonyms
personality,
name,
star,
lion,
superstar,
big name,
dignitary,
luminary,
bigwig (informal),
celeb (informal),
face (informal),
big shot (informal),
personage,
megastar (informal),
V.I.P.
in the sense of darling
Definition
a favourite
He was the darling of the family.
Synonyms
favourite,
pet,
spoilt child,
apple of your eye,
blue-eyed boy,
fair-haired boy (US)
Synonyms of 'queen'
queen
Explore 'queen' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of empress
Definition
a woman who rules an empire
the title of Empress of India
Synonyms
ruler,
queen,
monarch,
sovereign,
lady,
potentate,
tsarina
in the sense of favourite
Definition
a person or thing regarded with especial preference or liking
He was a favourite of the king.
Synonyms
darling,
pet,
preference,
blue-eyed boy (informal),
pick,
choice,
dear,
beloved,
idol,
fave (informal),
teacher's pet,
the apple of your eye
in the sense of idol
Definition
an object of excessive devotion or admiration
They cheered as they caught sight of their idol.
Synonyms
hero,
superstar,
pin-up,
favourite,
pet,
darling,
beloved (slang),
fave (informal)
in the sense of monarch
Definition
a sovereign head of state, esp. a king, queen, or emperor, who rules by hereditary right
She will never stand down as monarch and we fully support her.
Synonyms
ruler,
king or queen,
sovereign,
tsar,
potentate,
crowned head,
emperor or empress,
prince or princess
in the sense of princess
Definition
the wife of a prince
the Princess of Wales
Synonyms
ruler,
lady,
monarch,
sovereign,
liege,
crowned head,
crowned princess,
dynast,
princess regent
in the sense of ruler
Definition
a person who rules or commands
He was an indecisive ruler.
Synonyms
governor,
leader,
lord,
commander,
controller,
monarch,
sovereign,
head of state,
potentate,
crowned head,
emperor or empress,
king or queen,
prince or princess
in the sense of star
Definition
a famous person from the sports, acting, or music professions