the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
a plant producing such seeds.
the pod of such a plant, especially when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.
Slang.
a person's head.
a coin or a bank note considered as a coin.
I can't pay for the ticket, I don't have a bean in my jeans.
British Informal. a minimum amount of money.
They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.
Informal. beans, the slightest amount.
He doesn't know beans about navigation.
full of beans,
energetic; vigorously active; vital.
He is still full of beans at 95.
stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
spill the beans, to disclose a secret, either accidentally or imprudently, thereby ruining a surprise or plan.
He spilled the beans, and she knew all about the party in advance.
Alan L(aVern), 1932–2018, U.S. astronaut.
Roy Judge, 1825?–1903, U.S. frontiersman and justice of the peace: called himself “the law west of the Pecos.”
any of various leguminous plants of the widely cultivated genus Phaseolus producing edible seeds in pods See French bean lima bean scarlet runner string bean
any of several other leguminous plants that bear edible pods or seeds, such as the broad bean and soya bean
any of various other plants whose seeds are produced in pods or podlike fruits
the seed or pod of any of these plants
any of various beanlike seeds, such as coffee
slang another word for head
slang excellent; impressive
slang to be without money
I haven't got a bean
informal
full of energy and vitality
mistaken; erroneous
informal to disclose something confidential
before 950; Middle English bene, Old English bēan; cognate with Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Dutch boon, Old Saxon, Old High German bona ( German Bohne ), probably < Germanic *babnō, cognate with Russian bob, Latin faba < European Indo-European *bhabh-
A bean is a seed you can eat. You might love garbanzo beans but detest large, green lima beans. When you order rice and beans at a Mexican restaurant, you get a plate full of deliciously spiced, slightly mashed pinto or black beans. You might plant beans in your garden, vine-like climbing plants that grow pods with beans inside. Coffee and chocolate are both foods that start out as beans. If someone beans you during a softball game, it means they hit you with the ball, usually in the head — also colloquially called a bean.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And, of course, anything that Shoshana Bean sings as Lucy, the Emerson boys’ mother, is gold, even if the book-writing can’t quite keep up with the emotional depth she brings to the role.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
A city like New York or Chicago, with the Chrysler Building, the Bean, etc., has landmarks that exist in the world’s popular consciousness.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Savouri notes that in addition to these policy-led distortions, the ONS is simply under-resourced, something that was highlighted ten years ago by Bank of England Professor Charlie Bean.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Bean Instagram post features the bag sitting on a rock by the sea with the words: “A classic love story, a classic tote.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
When Bridge shoved open the door of the Bean Bar, Alex and Jamie were already there—Alex smiling, Jamie, in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, looking at his feet.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
