beak

[ beek ]

/ bik /

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See synonyms for: beak / beaked / beaklike on Thesaurus.com

noun

the bill of a bird; neb.

any similar horny mouthpart in other animals, as the turtle or duckbill.

anything beaklike or ending in a point, as the spout of a pitcher.

Slang. a person's nose.

Entomology. proboscis (def. 3).

Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.

Nautical. (formerly) a metal or metal-sheathed projection from the bow of a warship, used to ram enemy vessels; ram; rostrum.

Typography. a serif on the arm of a character, as of a K.

Also called bird's beak. Architecture. a pendant molding forming a drip, as on the soffit of a cornice.

Chiefly British Slang.

a judge; magistrate.
a schoolmaster.

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Origin of beak

1175–1225; Middle English bec<Old French <Latin beccus<Gaulish

OTHER WORDS FROM beak

beaked

[beekt, bee-kid], /bikt, ˈbi kɪd/, adjectivebeakless, adjectivebeaklike, adjectivebeaky, adjective

un·der·beak, noun

Words nearby beak

beady eye, beady-eyed, beagle, Beaglehole, beagling, beak, beaked whale, beaker, Beaker folk, beaking joint, beaky-nosed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use beak in a sentence

In the British Virgin Islands, O’Connell watched as 60 flamingoes held their necks erect and beaks high, moving their heads in a back-and-forth pattern called head-flagging.
In the animal kingdom, rituals that connect, renew and heal|Barbara King|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
The bendable nose bridge also allowed me to dial in the fit above my beak so it wouldn’t slip down.
The Exercise Mask Our Gear Guy Swears By|Joe Jackson|December 11, 2020|Outside Online
The new fossil is a nicely preserved head of a crow-sized bird with a strikingly long, tall and narrow beak.
Cretaceous birds were thought to have small bills—except this one|Scott K. Johnson|November 29, 2020|Ars Technica
That’s a big contrast with modern birds, which have a wild variety of beak shapes befitting their many different ecological niches.
Cretaceous birds were thought to have small bills—except this one|Scott K. Johnson|November 29, 2020|Ars Technica

A new fossil find reveals an unexpected bird from that time—one with a whopping, great toucan-like beak.
Cretaceous birds were thought to have small bills—except this one|Scott K. Johnson|November 29, 2020|Ars Technica
The key part of the costume, beyond the head-to-toe fabric, was the beak.
It’s Not Time to Worry About China’s Plague Just Yet|Kent Sepkowitz|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And a sharp chicken beak is nothing to be trifled with either.
What Did TJ Mean By “Pursuit of Happiness,” Anyway?|P. J. O’Rourke|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Duck Dynasty congressman got caught sticking his beak in the wrong place.
Duck Dynasty Congressman In Sex Scandal|Ben Jacobs|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Leroy had survived, but had an injured wing and a scuffed beak.
The Twister Stole My Pet: How Cats, Dogs, and a Donkey Survived Oklahoma|Christine Pelisek|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I also like a bird's beak knife, for fiddly decorative things like making radish flowers and skinning apples in one long peel.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Here there was a scuffling sound in the basket, and the Roc rapped on the cover with her hard beak, and cried, "Hush!"
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Jehosophat kicked at him with his wet feet, and tried to grab the fat red nose that hung down over the turkey's beak.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
A little tar and ashes in his beak was a greater kindness to him than a charge of bird shot.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
The peculiarity of their beak consists in the lower mandible being considerably longer than the other into which it shuts.
In the Wilds of Florida|W.H.G. Kingston
To prevent the water rushing into its throat as it skims the surface with its beak, the bird is provided with a very small gullet.
In the Wilds of Florida|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)

beak¹

/ (biːk) /

noun

the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill

any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles

slang a person's nose, esp one that is large, pointed, or hooked

any projecting part, such as the pouring lip of a bucket

architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water

chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser

nautical another word for ram (def. 5)

Derived forms of beak

beaked (biːkt), adjectivebeakless, adjectivebeaklike, adjectivebeaky, adjective

Word Origin for beak

C13: from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, of Gaulish origin

British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)

beak²

/ (biːk) /

noun

a Brit slang word for judge, magistrate, headmaster, schoolmaster

Word Origin for beak

C19: originally thieves' jargon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

beak

Origin of beak

OTHER WORDS FROM beak

Words nearby beak

Words related to beak

How to use beak in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)

Derived forms of beak

Word Origin for beak

British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)

Word Origin for beak