bead
noun
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.
beads
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pluralof bead.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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present tense formof bead (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
beadnouna 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.
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.
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
Elsewhere, sizable sculptures of unknown creatures made from glass beads are effortfully wacky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
It’s covered in more than 20,000 beads and weighs almost 1 ton — or about 2,000 pounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
While Burnham told the Times his mother would be "wearing her rosary beads out" to mark him becoming prime minister, his father, Roy, will unfortunately be unaware of his son's achievement due to his dementia.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
And they have no means to make glass, and so the beads, with their bright colors, are to them like rubies, emeralds, and diamonds are to the English.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
