beak
the bill of a bird; neb.
any similar horny mouthpart in other animals, as the turtle or duckbill.
anything beaklike or ending in a point, as the spout of a pitcher.
Slang. a person's nose.
Entomology. proboscis (def. 3).
Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.
Nautical. (formerly) a metal or metal-sheathed projection from the bow of a warship, used to ram enemy vessels; ram; rostrum.
Typography. a serif on the arm of a character, as of a K.
Also called bird's beak. Architecture. a pendant molding forming a drip, as on the soffit of a cornice.
Chiefly British Slang.
a judge; magistrate.
a schoolmaster.
Origin of beak
1Other words from beak
- beaked [beekt, bee-kid], /bikt, ˈbi kɪd/, adjective
- beakless, adjective
- beaklike, adjective
- beaky, adjective
- un·der·beak, noun
Words Nearby beak
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use beak in a sentence
In the British Virgin Islands, O’Connell watched as 60 flamingoes held their necks erect and beaks high, moving their heads in a back-and-forth pattern called head-flagging.
In the animal kingdom, rituals that connect, renew and heal | Barbara King | January 22, 2021 | Washington PostThe bendable nose bridge also allowed me to dial in the fit above my beak so it wouldn’t slip down.
The new fossil is a nicely preserved head of a crow-sized bird with a strikingly long, tall and narrow beak.
Cretaceous birds were thought to have small bills—except this one | Scott K. Johnson | November 29, 2020 | Ars TechnicaThat’s a big contrast with modern birds, which have a wild variety of beak shapes befitting their many different ecological niches.
Cretaceous birds were thought to have small bills—except this one | Scott K. Johnson | November 29, 2020 | Ars TechnicaA new fossil find reveals an unexpected bird from that time—one with a whopping, great toucan-like beak.
Cretaceous birds were thought to have small bills—except this one | Scott K. Johnson | November 29, 2020 | Ars Technica
The key part of the costume, beyond the head-to-toe fabric, was the beak.
It’s Not Time to Worry About China’s Plague Just Yet | Kent Sepkowitz | July 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd a sharp chicken beak is nothing to be trifled with either.
What Did TJ Mean By “Pursuit of Happiness,” Anyway? | P. J. O’Rourke | June 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Duck Dynasty congressman got caught sticking his beak in the wrong place.
Leroy had survived, but had an injured wing and a scuffed beak.
The Twister Stole My Pet: How Cats, Dogs, and a Donkey Survived Oklahoma | Christine Pelisek | May 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTI also like a bird's beak knife, for fiddly decorative things like making radish flowers and skinning apples in one long peel.
Here there was a scuffling sound in the basket, and the Roc rapped on the cover with her hard beak, and cried, "Hush!"
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylJehosophat kicked at him with his wet feet, and tried to grab the fat red nose that hung down over the turkey's beak.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon AndersonA little tar and ashes in his beak was a greater kindness to him than a charge of bird shot.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthurThe peculiarity of their beak consists in the lower mandible being considerably longer than the other into which it shuts.
In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. KingstonTo prevent the water rushing into its throat as it skims the surface with its beak, the bird is provided with a very small gullet.
In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. Kingston
British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)
/ (biːk) /
the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill
any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles
slang a person's nose, esp one that is large, pointed, or hooked
any projecting part, such as the pouring lip of a bucket
architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water
chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser
nautical another word for ram (def. 5)
Origin of beak
1Derived forms of beak
- beaked (biːkt), adjective
- beakless, adjective
- beaklike, adjective
- beaky, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)
/ (biːk) /
a Brit slang word for judge, magistrate, headmaster, schoolmaster
Origin of beak
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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