beanie

American  

[bee-nee] / ˈbi ni /

noun

1. a close-fitting knit cap worn in cold weather.

2. a small cap, brimless or with a short bill, often brightly colored, constructed of triangular pieces of cloth joined at the top by a button and popularized in the early 20th century as worn by college freshmen.

---

beanie British  

/ ˈbiːnɪ /

noun

1. a round close-fitting hat resembling a skullcap

---

Etymology

Origin of beanie

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; bean + -ie

Compare meaning

How does beanie compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• skullcap vs. beanie

Explanation

A beanie is a small, round, brimless hat. It was fashionable for boys to wear beanies in the first half of the 20th century. Traditionally, a beanie was a flat, close-fitting hat without a brim, sometimes also called a skullcap. In the early 1900s, adult workers and young men commonly wore beanies, which eventually evolved into today's baseball cap. The hat was probably named beanie after the bean-sized, cloth-covered button in the center of the cap. In the UK, a beanie is simply a knitted stocking cap.

Example Sentences

Beanie Babies, Tamagotchis and Furbys have all come and gone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

“I would go back to the Beanie Baby craze,” he said, adding that he isn’t too keen on Pokémon cards, either.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 26, 2025

Others have compared Labubus to Beanie Babies, which were popular in the 1990s and 2000s, and say collecting Labubus evokes feelings of childhood nostalgia.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

It’s like it’s the modern day Beanie Baby.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025

Octavian stood in front with a knife and a Beanie Baby lion, just in case anyone needed to consult the god of cutesy collectibles.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• beret