beast

[beest]

noun

1. any nonhuman animal, especially a large, four-footed mammal.

2. the crude animal nature common to humans and the lower animals.

   Hunger brought out the beast in him.

3. a cruel, coarse, filthy, or otherwise beastlike person.

   Synonyms: barbarian, monster, ogre, savage, brute, pig, swine, cad

4. a live creature, as distinguished from a plant.

   What manner of beast is this?

5. the beast, the Antichrist.

beast

/ biːst /

noun

1. any animal other than man, esp a large wild quadruped

2. savage nature or characteristics

   the beast in man

3. a brutal, uncivilized, or filthy person

verb

1. slang:military,  (tr) to punish or torture (someone) in a manner that involves excessive physical exercise

Other Word Forms

• beastlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of beast¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English be(e)ste, from Old French beste ( French bête ), from Latin bēstia

Word History and Origins

Origin of beast¹

C13: from Old French beste , from Latin bestia , of obscure origin

Synonym Study

See animal.

Example Sentences

The men had hunted all manner of beasts, but they’d never come across this…this…well, they didn’t know what this thing was.

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“We really are just survivors speaking with one another. We are a fundamentally different beast than a social media account.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Just stay in it no matter what. We had this bye and we got to rest up a little bit which is great. But we need to be that beast every single day.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

By 21 October it had reached tropical storm strength and by 26 October, it was a Category 4 beast churning through the Caribbean Sea.

Read more on BBC

By-elections are frequently different beasts from full elections, Caerphilly voters might behave differently in just a few short months.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• brute 
• cad 
• ogre 
• ogress 

When To Use

What does beast mean?

The word beast refers to an animal, especially a big, four-legged mammal.This sense of the word is used in a neutral way to refer to certain members of the animal kingdom, often to distinguish large beasts from smaller creatures, such as birds. This is how the word is used in the phrase beast of burden, referring to an animal that pulls heavy equipment, such as an ox. Similarly, a mammal that hunts other animals can be called a beast of prey.The word creature is often used in a similar way, but beast typically implies a big animal, whereas creature can refer to even very small ones.Another common meaning of the word beast refers to fictional creatures, especially ones that are considered monsters, as in I had a dream I was being chased by a terrible beast. This is how the word is used in the title of the story Beauty and the Beast. Creature can also be used as a synonym for this sense of the word, but it’s more neutral—a fictional being referred to as a creature may be friendly. By contrast, using the word beast often implies that it is monstrous or dangerous in some way—or is at least thought to be.Beast is sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to a cruel and uncivilized nature of a person, as in Desperation brings out the beast in some people. Another figurative use of the word refers to a situation that is going to create trouble or be difficult to deal with, as in The comprehensive final exam is going to be a beast. The word beast is sometimes used to refer to humans in both very negative and very positive ways.Calling a person a beast in a negative way likens them to a monster and implies that they behave in a crude, brutish, or animalistic way. This use of beast can be especially offensive, especially due to likening a person to an animal.The adjective beastly means monstrous, nasty, vile, or cruel.A more recent slang sense of beast is completely positive. Calling someone a beast in this way means they are extremely strong, skilled, or dominant in some activity, such as a sport, as in Tara is a beast on the volleyball court. This sense of the word is used in the slang term beast mode, which refers to an increased (and often temporary) state of exceptionally high performance.Example: I love monster movies—the bigger and more grotesque the beast, the better.