bean

[been]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bean ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.

a plant producing such seeds.

the pod of such a plant, especially when immature and eaten as a vegetable.

any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.

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.

beans, Informal. the slightest amount: He doesn't know beans about navigation.

verb (used with object)

Slang. to hit on the head, especially with a baseball.

interjection

beans, (used to express disbelief, annoyance, etc.).

Idioms

full of beans, Informal.

energetic; vigorously active; vital: He is still full of beans at 95.
stupid; erroneous; misinformed.

spill the beans, Informal. 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.

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-

Related formsbean·like, adjective

Can be confusedbean been Ben bin

Bean

[been]

noun

Alan L(aVern),born 1932, U.S. astronaut.

RoyJudge, 1825?–1903, U.S. frontiersman and justice of the peace: called himself “the law west of the Pecos.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bean

kernel, grain, berry, nugget, seed

Examples from the Web for bean

Contemporary Examples of bean

This has occurred with bean bag chairs, children's sweaters, and the Coco The Monkey Teething Toy.
9-Year Old With an Uzi? America Is Tougher on Toys Than Guns
Cliff Schecter
August 28, 2014
Bean is to dying onscreen what Kevin Bacon is to being connected with every other actor.
Life After Deaths: Sean Bean on 'Game of Thrones' Paternity and 'Legends'
Jason Lynch
August 11, 2014
Spending time with Bean is somewhat disconcerting after seeing him play so many somber, doomed roles.
Life After Deaths: Sean Bean on 'Game of Thrones' Paternity and 'Legends'
Jason Lynch
August 11, 2014
Bean powders may be tossed into the mix to increase the fiber and protein count even more.
How to Buy Gluten-Free Without Getting Duped
DailyBurn
April 12, 2014
I was offered my first book contract, for The Bean Trees, the day I came home from the hospital with my first child.
Barbara Kingsolver: How I Write
Noah Charney
December 5, 2012

Historical Examples of bean

Remove the strings with a knife, and take off both ends of the bean.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
If the water is hard, a piece of soda the size of a bean should be added.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
They are baking a great cake in the kitchen, with a bean in it.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 2, August, 1863
Various
“Bean porridge is wholesome food, Paul,” said his grandfather.
Our Young Folks, Vol 1, No. 1
Various
"Bean porridge is wholesome food, Paul," said his grandfather.
Winning His Way
Charles Carleton Coffin

British Dictionary definitions for bean

bean

noun

any of various leguminous plants of the widely cultivated genus Phaseolus producing edible seeds in podsSee 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

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

US and Canadian slang another word for head

cool beans slang excellent; impressive

not have a bean slang to be without moneyI haven't got a bean

full of beans informal

full of energy and vitality
USmistaken; erroneous

spill the beans informal to disclose something confidential

verb

mainly US and Canadian slang (tr) to hit (a person) on the head

Word Origin for bean

Old English bēan; related to Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Old High German bōna bean

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

Word Origin and History for bean

Old English bean "bean, pea, legume," from Proto-Germanic *bauno (cf. Old Norse baun, Middle Dutch bone, Dutch boon, Old High German bona, German Bohne), perhaps from a PIE reduplicated base *bha-bha- and related to Latin faba "bean."

As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c.1300. Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown at the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910.

The notion of lucky or magic beans in English folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth.

Slang bean-counter "accountant" recorded by 1971. To not know beans (American English, 1933) is perhaps from the "of little worth" sense, but may have a connection to colloquial expression recorded around Somerset, to know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow."

Idioms and Phrases with bean

bean

see full of beans; not have a bean; not know beans; not worth a dime (bean); spill the beans; tough break (beans).