ENGLISH
REFERENCE

busy as a bee

idiom
Meaning

Very active; working constantly.


Origin

disputed origin

Compare Middle English bisy as bees.

Examples
SIMPLE

She is as busy as a bee today.

CONTEXTUAL

With the wedding only two days away, the bride is as busy as a bee finishing all the final decorations.

COMPLEX

Throughout the entire harvest season, the farmer remained as busy as a bee, laboring from dawn until dusk to gather the crops before the winter frost arrived.

Anchors to
Related idioms6entries
  1. 01

    bee in one's bonnet

    Something of particular interest or concern; an obsession.

  2. 02

    busy as a nailer

    working constantly.

  3. 03

    busy work

    Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.

  4. 04

    get busy

    To have sex.

  5. 05

    keep someone busy

    To ensure that someone's attention is occupied, often to prevent them from becoming bored or noticing something.

  6. 06

    queen bee

    The most important or dominant woman in an organization or situation.

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