bean
noun
the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
bean
1 American
[been]
/ bin /
noun
-
beans
plural
-
the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
-
a plant producing such seeds.
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the pod of such a plant, especially when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
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any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.
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Slang.
-
a person's head.
-
a coin or a bank note considered as a coin.
I can't pay for the ticket, I don't have a bean in my jeans.
-
-
British Informal. a minimum amount of money.
They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.
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Informal. beans, the slightest amount.
He doesn't know beans about navigation.
verb (used with object)
-
beans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
beaned,
past participle, past
-
beaning
present participle
interjection
idioms
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full of beans,
-
energetic; vigorously active; vital.
He is still full of beans at 95.
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stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
-
-
spill the beans, to disclose a secret, either accidentally or imprudently, thereby ruining a surprise or plan.
He spilled the beans, and she knew all about the party in advance.
Bean
2
American
[been]
/ bin /
noun
-
Alan L(aVern), 1932–2018, U.S. astronaut.
-
Roy Judge, 1825?–1903, U.S. frontiersman and justice of the peace: called himself “the law west of the Pecos.”
bean
British
/ biːn /
noun
-
any of various leguminous plants of the widely cultivated genus Phaseolus producing edible seeds in pods See French bean lima bean scarlet runner string bean
-
any of several other leguminous plants that bear edible pods or seeds, such as the broad bean and soya bean
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any of various other plants whose seeds are produced in pods or podlike fruits
-
the seed or pod of any of these plants
-
any of various beanlike seeds, such as coffee
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slang another word for head
-
slang excellent; impressive
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slang to be without money
I haven't got a bean
-
informal
-
full of energy and vitality
-
mistaken; erroneous
-
-
informal to disclose something confidential
verb
bean
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beansimple
-
beanssimple
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have beanedperfect
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has beanedperfect
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am beaningprogressive
-
are beaningprogressive
-
is beaningprogressive
-
have been beaningperfect progressive
-
has been beaningperfect progressive
Past
-
beanedsimple
-
had beanedperfect
-
was beaningprogressive
-
were beaningprogressive
-
had been beaningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bean
before 950; Middle English bene, Old English bēan; cognate with Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Dutch boon, Old Saxon, Old High German bona ( German Bohne ), probably < Germanic *babnō, cognate with Russian bob, Latin faba < European Indo-European *bhabh-
Explanation
A bean is a seed you can eat. You might love garbanzo beans but detest large, green lima beans. When you order rice and beans at a Mexican restaurant, you get a plate full of deliciously spiced, slightly mashed pinto or black beans. You might plant beans in your garden, vine-like climbing plants that grow pods with beans inside. Coffee and chocolate are both foods that start out as beans. If someone beans you during a softball game, it means they hit you with the ball, usually in the head — also colloquially called a bean.
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:
He had previously paid roughly $26,100 for a Four Seasons Yacht trip that he panned in a May review for sewage-smelling water in his cabin and inattentiveness to his bean allergy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The old crowded wait has become a couch scroll until your green bean skewer and brisket noodles appear by e-bike.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Tests showed that extracts from the bean gum lowered HPV levels by 93% in saliva samples.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Taco Bell’s Luxe Value Menu offers 10 items for $3 or less, including a spicy potato soft taco for $1.69 and a cheesy bean and rice burrito for $1.89.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
It was a closet filled with hundreds and hundreds of jelly bean fish.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Sean Bean brings a lifelong passion for birds—and his endearing Yorkshire accent—to a meditative, freewheeling celebration of the natural world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Bean representative rather than deal with yet another AI assistant on a the website from a company whose parent company is plagued by data leaks.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
The families of LGBTQ+ pioneers Glenn Burke and Billy Bean wiped away tears after an exhibit at Dodger Stadium honoring their loved ones was unveiled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Pinzari has had to close one of his businesses, the Bean Café, for more than a year.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
I get off the train and Dylan is outside a pharmacy holding a Dream & Bean thermos and a bouquet of flowers.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Keep foods like dried and canned beans, canned tomatoes, tinned fish, olive oil, and a variety of whole grains on hand so you always have something to cook with.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
These days in Pozos de Gamboa, a Zacatecas town of 5,000 that is known for growing beans, people are terrified.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
She has tried a full English breakfast - but is not a fan of baked beans - and her TikTok algorithm is already throwing up typical conversational words like "innit".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
One person says, with defeat, “All I managed today was beans on toast.”
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
While I have to be mindful not to spill her beans, here’s what I have observed.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Yamamoto then promptly beaned the first batter he faced, loading the bases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Young pitcher Chase Silseth accidentally was beaned on a cross-diamond throw in a game and went on the concussion list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2023
Gosselin was beaned on a sinker from Otto, and Andrew Velazquez had a bunt single before Ohtani drove Otto’s 88 mph changeup into the elevated bleachers in center field.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2022
Chase Burns took the mound and beaned his first hitter, Waldy Arias, who was forced to leave the game for concussion protocol.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2022
I look behind me, half expecting to see a sniggering back-row guy who beaned me with an eraser.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Cabrera sent a note of apology to Harper on Thursday saying the beaning was unintentional.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2021
He had suffered a concussion from the beaning and was then left with vertigo symptoms and vision issues.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2018
There were so many people crowded around the first green that he feared beaning someone.
From Golf Digest ● Apr. 2, 2017
We can probably expect one of these big troll vetoes just to settle the score, like a pitcher beaning a hitter.
From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2016
“Breakfast!” he hollered as he coasted by, beaning her on the forehead with a plastic-wrapped muffin.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
