killer bee

noun

An Africanized bee.

Similar
Africanized beeAfricanized honey beeApis mellifera scutellataApis mellifera adansonii
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Meanings

nounkiller bee (plural killer bees)

plural killer bees

  1. informalAn Africanized bee.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna strain of bees that originated in Brazil in the 1950s as a cross between an aggressive African bee and a honeybee; retains most of the traits of the African bee; now spread as far north as Texas

Similar
Africanized beeAfricanized honey beeApis mellifera scutellataApis mellifera adansonii
Broader
honeybeeApis mellifera
Also see
africanized beeafricanized honey bee

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From killer + bee, for its aggressive nature, though few deaths have been reported.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

killer bee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killer%20bee

MLA

“killer bee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killer%20bee. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “killer bee,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killer%20bee.

Source: killer bee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.