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bean
[ been ]
/ bin /
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noun
verb (used with object)
Slang. to hit on the head, especially with a baseball.
interjection
beans, (used to express disbelief, annoyance, etc.).
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Idioms about bean
- energetic; vigorously active; vital: He is still full of beans at 95.
- stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
full of beans, Informal.
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-
OTHER WORDS FROM bean
beanlike, adjectiveWords nearby bean
beam splitter, beam trawl, beam weapon, beam wind, beamy, bean, bean aphid, beanbag, beanbag gun, beanball, bean beetle
Other definitions for bean (2 of 2)
Bean
[ 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.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bean in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for bean
bean
/ (biːn) /
noun
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
Other 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).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.