beekeeper

IPA/ˈbiːkiːpə(r)/
KK[bˈikˌipɚ]IPA/ˈbiːkiːpər/

beekeeper — noun

  • beekeepersingular
  • beekeepersplural

1. a person who cares for bees and manages their hives, often to collect honey or w

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who cares for bees and manages their hives, often to collect honey or wax

Example

A local beekeeper opened the hive just after sunrise.

local beekeeper + open the hive

Maria asked the beekeeper why smoke calms the bees.

ask the beekeeper

Common collocations
  • local beekeeper
  • experienced beekeeper
  • hobby beekeeper
  • work as a beekeeper
  • beekeeper's suit
Synonyms
  • apiarist

    more formal or technical, especially in specialist writing

  • bee farmer

    a plain descriptive phrase, but less usual than beekeeper

  • honey producer

    focuses on the business result rather than caring for the bees

Grammar Patterns

work as a beekeeper

a local beekeeper

buy honey from a beekeeper

Usage Note

Usually countable and often used for someone who manages hives either as a job or a serious hobby. Common nearby words include hive, queen, smoke, honey, and protective suit.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is beekeeping.
My uncle is a beekeeper.
beekeeping names the activity, while beekeeper names the person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, beekeeper is the normal everyday word for someone who looks after bees and their hives. Apiarist means nearly the same thing, but it sounds more formal and is more common in technical or specialist contexts. Farmer is much broader, so it does not tell you that bees are the focus. Honey producer stresses the sale of honey, but a beekeeper may also care about breeding bees, moving hives, or keeping colonies healthy. If Owen checks his hives every weekend, beekeeper fits best. If a university report describes disease control in bee colonies, apiarist may sound more natural.

beekeeper ↗apiarist ↗farmer ↗honey producer

Common collocations

Nouns

  • local beekeeper
  • hobby beekeeper

Phrases

  • work as a beekeeper
  • buy honey from a beekeeper

Prepositions

  • from a beekeeper

Etymology

English

Beekeeper is a straightforward English compound built from bee and keeper. Keeper here means a person who takes care of living things, so the word developed in English to mean someone who looks after bees and their hives.