drag queen

noun

plural drag queens
: a person and especially a man who performs as an entertainer in usually female drag (see drag entry 3 sense 2a)
Drag queens, who are traditionally male, dress in "drag" as female characters.Laura Wavra
For the past decade, (basically since RuPaul started Drag Race) traditional drag queens (ie, cis men performing as female characters) have been blowing up in the popular zeitgeist …Brittany Knupper
Drag is not simply female impersonation, but involves drag queens exaggerating femininity and drag kings exaggerating masculinity.Shannon Kelly
[Victoria] Sin is a female-bodied non-binary drag queen, examining how Western ideals of femininity are produced and consumed.Amrou Al-Kadhi
They are a black, non-binary drag queen with a beard in a part of the country that has a reputation for being anti-LGBTQ+.Bailey Shelton

Examples of drag queen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Del Rio is a larger-than-life drag queen with a comedic flair who won season six of RuPaul's Drag Race. Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025 In body and scowl, Paquita radiated like the Disney villain Ursula — a character also inspired by a drag queen, famed actor and performer Divine — but in spirit and heart was far from the sea-dwelling witch who stole an innocent mermaid’s voice. Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025 Amidst the maelstrom of war in Ukraine, three drag queens – Diva Monroe, Marlene, and Aura – refuse to abandon their homeland. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025 Endora was basically a drag queen, so everyone was fascinated by that. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drag queen

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drag queen was circa 1941

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drag queen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drag%20queen. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on drag queen

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!