bead
Americannoun
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beads
plural
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a small, usually round object of glass, wood, stone, or the like with a hole through it, often strung with others of its kind in necklaces, rosaries, etc.
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beads,
-
a necklace of beads.
You don't have your beads on this evening.
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a rosary.
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Obsolete. devotions; prayers.
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any small globular or cylindrical body.
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a drop of liquid.
beads of moisture.
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a bubble rising through effervescent liquid.
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Usually beads. a mass of such bubbles on the surface of a liquid.
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the front sight of a rifle or gun.
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a reinforced area of a rubber tire terminating the sidewall and fitting within the rim of a wheel.
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Electricity. a glass, ceramic, or plastic insulator that contains and supports the inner conductor in a coaxial cable.
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Chemistry. a globule of borax or some other flux, supported on a platinum wire, in which a small amount of some substance is heated in a flame as a test for its constituents.
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Metallurgy. the rounded mass of refined metal obtained by cupellation.
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Architecture, Furniture. a small molding having a convex circular section and, usually, a continuous cylindrical surface; astragal.
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Welding. a continuous deposit of fused metal, either straight stringer bead or zigzag weave bead.
verb (used with object)
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beads,
present (3rd person singular)
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beaded,
past participle, past
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beading
present participle
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to form or cause to form beads or a bead on.
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to ornament with beads.
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Carpentry. to form a bead on (a piece).
verb (used without object)
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beads,
present (3rd person singular)
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beaded,
past participle, past
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beading
present participle
idioms
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count / say / tell one's beads, to say one's prayers, using rosary beads.
There were a few old women counting their beads in the hushed silence of the chapel.
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draw / get a bead on, to take careful aim at.
The marksman drew a bead on his target.
noun
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a small usually spherical piece of glass, wood, plastic, etc, with a hole through it by means of which it may be strung with others to form a necklace, etc
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a small drop of moisture
a bead of sweat
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a small bubble in or on a liquid
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a small metallic knob acting as the sight of a firearm
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to aim a rifle or pistol at
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Also called: astragal. architect carpentry a small convex moulding having a semicircular cross section
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chem a small solid globule made by fusing a powdered sample with borax or a similar flux on a platinum wire. The colour of the globule serves as a test for the presence of certain metals ( bead test )
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metallurgy a deposit of welding metal on the surface of a metal workpiece, often used to examine the structure of the weld zone
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RC Church one of the beads of a rosary
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to pray with a rosary
verb
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(tr) to decorate with beads
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to form into beads or drops
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beadsimple
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beadssimple
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have beadedperfect
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has beadedperfect
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am beadingprogressive
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are beadingprogressive
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is beadingprogressive
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have been beadingperfect progressive
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has been beadingperfect progressive
Past
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beadedsimple
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had beadedperfect
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was beadingprogressive
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were beadingprogressive
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had been beadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bead
before 900; Middle English bede prayer, prayer bead (where, on a rosary each bead symbolizes a prayer, the word for the notion symbolized was transferred to the designating object), Old English gebed prayer; akin to bid 1, German Gebet
Explanation
A bead is a small bauble or jewel with a hole through its middle for stringing on a necklace or bracelet. You can make your own jewelry by stringing colorful beads on a long cord. Beads are decorative balls made from stone, glass, or plastic. Rosary beads — or other prayer beads — are used for praying or meditating, and in some societies beads are the equivalent of money, used as currency to buy things. You can also describe a round drop of liquid as a bead, like a bead of sweat on your forehead. The earliest meaning of bead is "prayer bead," from the Old English gebed, "prayer."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Each bead slipped through her fingers as if she were marking the seconds, bargaining with time.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2026
He managed to get back two coral bead crowns and a tunic but it was only in 2021 that any significant repatriation of artefacts by Western universities and museums began.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
While investors are trying to get a bead on the Fed, earnings season is rolling on.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
Also discovered in the archaeological excavation -- led by UW Department of Anthropology Professor Todd Surovell -- was a bead made from a hare bone, the oldest known bead in the Americas.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024
You opened your bag and pulled out a long piece of string and knotted the end with a bead, so the rest wouldn’t fall off.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
During the campaign, she crisscrossed the country by road, wearing jeans and a white shirt, with rosary beads around her neck.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
He appeared at Margate Magistrates' Court on Friday via videolink wearing a grey T-shirt and rosary beads.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Those beads reduce blood flow to the targeted vessels.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
In the dining room, vintage Doyle Lane ceramic beads dangle from a Mission-style wooden clock while designer handbags are draped over chairs and hat racks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
She continued threading beads and stitching in silence but just when my mouth was full of salty-sweet goodness, decided to be chatty.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The distinction matters: the study did not suggest that every beaded axon is damaged.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
Toward the end of the antitrust trial against the National Football League, the women attorneys on the case with her made her beaded friendship bracelets with sayings like “Closing Queen” and “WTVR Beth Wants.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The doorbell went again and a walking sculpture dressed in an Anne Boleyn-style quilted dress with beaded face mask appeared.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Twentysomethings clad in Deftones and Pikachu tees, Dodgers caps, and beaded bracelets joined the procession, snaking from the dance floor through the bar area and back down again.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
She was barefoot but otherwise looked exactly the same as she did in class: a black T-shirt and a long black skirt and long beaded earrings that jingled like chimes as she walked.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
In those settings, the beading can accompany damage to the cell membrane and the internal framework that helps maintain the axon's structure.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
Back on Riohacha's promenade, Ms Aguilar says the bag's fashion rise has led artisans to adapt or add elements, such as elaborate beading, religious icons, or even football club logos.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2025
The repetitive nature of weaving and beading and hands-on craftsmanship are important to Gibson.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025
Cell biologist John Heuser from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis also thinks beading is an artifact of the preparation process.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 2, 2024
The sweat kept beading down her forehead and stinging her eyes.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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