beagle

American  

[bee-guhl] / ˈbi gəl /

noun

beagles plural

1. one of a breed of small hounds having long ears, short legs, and a usually black, tan, and white coat.

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beagle British  

/ ˈbiːɡəl /

noun

1. a small sturdy breed of hound, having a smooth dense coat usually of white, tan, and black; often used (esp formerly) for hunting hares

2. archaic a person who spies on others

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verb

1. (intr) to hunt with beagles, normally on foot

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• beagles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of beagle

1490–1500; perhaps < Middle French beegueule one who whines insistently, equivalent to bee, 3rd person singular of beer to be open, gape (by-form of bayer ( see bay ²) + gueule mouth (of an animal); see gullet

Example Sentences

For 51-year-old Barry Nicholson, walking is easiest with a companion - particularly his energetic beagle Max.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

A beagle in a bandana muses, “Disappointing someone is not the same as hurting them.”

From Salon • Jun. 27, 2026

I took my beagle Philly to Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach and watched him race around like the happiest hound in the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

The duchess said she had adopted the beagle from an animal rescue in Canada in 2015 and that he had been "with me for everything" ever since.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2025

If Jesus is anything like the story cards from Sunday school make him out to be, he ain’t the kind to want a thin, little beagle to be hurt.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Related Words

• detective
• gumshoe
• private eye
• private investigator
• sleuth