Meaning & use
bee's knees
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalold-fashioned
Used to say that someone or something is excellent or the best.
Grammar: Acts like a noun phrase after 'the': That cafe is the bee's knees. It describes a person or thing, not an action.
Patterns
- someone is the bee's knees
- something is the bee's knees
- think someone is the bee's knees
My grandmother thinks that old jazz singer is the bee's knees.
This little bakery on the corner is the bee's knees — their bread sells out by noon.
He bought a tiny electric car and keeps telling everyone it's the bee's knees.
Common combinations
- think someone is the bee's knees
- My little cousin thinks her new teacher is the bee's knees.
- really the bee's knees
- That documentary about bees is really the bee's knees.
- the bee's knees for something
- This app is the bee's knees for learning new words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the best
- Neutral and direct; it works in any situation, while 'the bee's knees' sounds playful and dated.
- great
- An ordinary adjective for something very good; use it when you want a plain, modern tone.
- awesome
- Informal and stronger in feeling; it is more common in modern speech than 'the bee's knees'.
Opposites
Commonly confused: bee's knees or the cat's whiskers?
bee's knees vs the cat's whiskers
Another old informal phrase with the same meaning. It is equally dated, so neither is a neutral choice.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'bee's knees' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Bee's knees' is a fixed phrase meaning 'excellent', so it fits after 'is the' to praise someone. Option 2 treats it as a literal plural noun, option 3 uses it as an object, and option 4 uses it as a verb, which the phrase never is.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bee's knees”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.