queens

IPA/kwiːn/
KK[kwˈinz]IPA/kwiːn/

queens — noun

  • queenssingular
  • queensesplural

1. a female member of a royal line who governs an independent state as its official

1.名詞A2
釋義

a female member of a royal line who governs an independent state as its official head, or a king's spouse

例句

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.

同義詞
  • monarch

    neutral term for a royal ruler of any gender

  • sovereign

    more formal, emphasises supreme authority

  • ruler

    general term, not specific to royalty

反義詞
  • subject

    a person under the authority of a monarch

常見錯誤

❌The queen's husband is called a queen too.
✅The queen's husband is called a prince consort or king consort.
💡'queen' refers to a female ruler or the wife of a king, not to the husband of a queen.

2. a woman who is widely recognised as the finest or most outstanding person in a p

2.名詞B2
釋義

a woman who is widely recognised as the finest or most outstanding person in a particular area of activity

例句

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.

同義詞
  • champion

    stresses competitive victory rather than general superiority

  • star

    less formal, emphasises fame rather than skill

  • leading figure

    neutral and gender-inclusive

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌He is the queen of basketball.
✅He is the king of basketball.
💡'queen' is used for women; for men the equivalent is 'king'.

3. the playing piece in chess with the greatest freedom of movement, able to travel

3.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

用法筆記

Frequently appears in chess instruction contexts. Unlike other senses, this one is always a countable game piece and never takes a personal name.

常見錯誤

❌The queen can only move one square at a time.
✅The queen can move any number of squares in a straight line.
💡the queen is the most mobile piece, not the least.

4. a playing card that shows a queen's picture and ranks below the king in most car

4.名詞A2
釋義

a playing card that shows a queen's picture and ranks below the king in most card games

例句

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.

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌I have five queen in my hand.
✅I have five queens in my hand.
💡'queen' is a countable noun and needs plural -s.

5. a single fertile member of a social insect species that produces eggs and mainta

5.名詞B1
釋義

a single fertile member of a social insect species that produces eggs and maintains the population of the hive, nest, or mound

例句

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.

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌We saw a queen at the zoo.
✅We saw a queen bee at the insect exhibit.
💡specify the insect type to avoid confusion with the royal sense.

6. a gay man whose mannerisms and style of dress are noticeably showy or theatrical

6.名詞C1
釋義

a gay man whose mannerisms and style of dress are noticeably showy or theatrical, a term sometimes used as a mildly offensive description

例句

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.

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌All gay men are queens.
✅Some gay men may identify as queens, but the term can be offensive.
💡do not assume all gay men fit this description.

7. a term used in informal speech, especially by younger people, to describe someon

7.名詞B1
釋義

a term used in informal speech, especially by younger people, to describe someone who has done something admirable or is extremely good at something

例句

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!

同義詞
  • legend

    broader slang term for an impressive person, not gender-restricted

  • star

    more general, used across all age groups

  • champion

    stronger emphasis on winning or achieving something

文法句型

be + a + queen

you are a queen / what a queen

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌The queen of our team is a man.
✅People call him a queen because he's so good at his job.
💡The slang sense is a compliment, not a literal title.

queens — geographical name