beak

American  

[beek] / bik /

noun

1. the bill of a bird; neb.

2. any similar horny mouthpart in other animals, as the turtle or duckbill.

3. anything beaklike or ending in a point, as the spout of a pitcher.

4. Slang. a person's nose.

5. Entomology. proboscis.

6. Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.

7. Nautical. (formerly) a metal or metal-sheathed projection from the bow of a warship, used to ram enemy vessels; ram; rostrum.

8. Typography. a serif on the arm of a character, as of a K.

9. Also called bird's beak.  Architecture. a pendant molding forming a drip, as on the soffit of a cornice.

10. Chiefly British Slang.

    1. a judge; magistrate.

    2. a schoolmaster.

---

beak ¹ British  

/ biːkt, biːk /

noun

1. the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill

2. any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles

3. slang a person's nose, esp one that is large, pointed, or hooked

4. any projecting part, such as the pouring lip of a bucket

5. architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water

6. chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser

7. nautical another word for ram

---

beak ² British  

/ biːk /

noun

1. a Brit slang word for judge magistrate headmaster schoolmaster

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underbeak
  noun
• beakless
  adjective
• beaked
  adjective
• beaky
  adjective
• beaklike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of beak

1175–1225; Middle English bec < Old French < Latin beccus < Gaulish

Explanation

When you see a bird pecking around in your backyard, it’s using its beak to probe the ground for food. A beak is the hard, pointed structure sticking out from a bird’s face. The word beak refers to the bill on a bird, which protrudes from the face and is used for eating, grooming, and pecking. You can think of it sort of like the mouth of a bird, only it’s made up of hard, horny material rather than flesh. The word beak is sometimes used informally to refer to a person’s nose, especially if the nose is large, prominent, and protruding — in other word, sort of like a bird’s beak.

Example Sentences

Normally, identifying a new octopus species requires scientists to dissect the specimen and closely study features such as the mouth, beak, and teeth.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

Normally to describe a new octopus species, a specimen needs to be cut open so that its mouth, beak, teeth and other parts can be examined.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

I got there on a balmy afternoon, beheld Chicken Boy’s beak gleaming in the sun, and knew my mission was complete.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

"He had a small laceration to his beak and one just on the left side of his body - but other than that, he was pretty much absolutely fine," she said.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

And indeed, it was a giant robot pelican, three stories high, made of steel and girders, currently swallowing the white panels of the ceiling in its massive steel and girder beak.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Related Words

• snout