bean

¹ American  

[been] / bin /

noun

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

2. a plant producing such seeds.

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

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

5. Slang.

   1. a person's head.

   2. 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.

6. British Informal. a minimum amount of money.

   They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.

7. Informal. beans, the slightest amount.

   He doesn't know beans about navigation.

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verb (used with object)

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

interjection

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

idioms

1. full of beans,

   1. energetic; vigorously active; vital.

      He is still full of beans at 95.

   2. stupid; erroneous; misinformed.

2. 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

1. Alan L(aVern), 1932–2018, U.S. astronaut.

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

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bean British  

/ biːn /

noun

1. 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

2. any of several other leguminous plants that bear edible pods or seeds, such as the broad bean and soya bean

3. any of various other plants whose seeds are produced in pods or podlike fruits

4. the seed or pod of any of these plants

5. any of various beanlike seeds, such as coffee

6. slang another word for head

7. slang excellent; impressive

8. slang to be without money

   I haven't got a bean

9. informal

   1. full of energy and vitality

   2. mistaken; erroneous

10. informal to disclose something confidential

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verb

1. slang (tr) to hit (a person) on the head

bean More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• beanlike adjective

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-

Example Sentences

Sour cream and cheese to add tang; pinto beans and red salsa for heartiness.

From Los Angeles Times

Each week, during the British winter, it supplies two million bunches of spring onions, 100 tonnes of green beans and 80 tonnes of radishes.

From BBC

The diner with stewy green beans flecked with bacon, sliding up next to a square of cornbread.

From Salon

State Department has sent two shipments amounting to $9 million in assistance in recent weeks, including canned tuna, rice, beans, pasta, and solar lamps to allow Cubans to charge their phones.

From The Wall Street Journal

If vegetables feel like an obligation, tuck them into dense spoon salads, lemony beans and produce-packed pastas that eat like a treat rather than a directive.

From Salon

Related Words

• berry
• grain
• kernel