beast

[ beest ]

/ bist /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beast ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any nonhuman animal, especially a large, four-footed mammal.

the crude animal nature common to humans and the lower animals: Hunger brought out the beast in him.

a cruel, coarse, filthy, or otherwise beastlike person.

a live creature, as distinguished from a plant: What manner of beast is this?

the beast, the Antichrist. Rev. 13:18.

Nearby words

bearish, bearpaw, bearskin, bearwood, beas, beast, beast epic, beast of burden, beast of prey, beastie, beastings

Origin of beast

1175–1225; Middle English be(e)ste < Old French beste (French bête) < Latin bēstia

SYNONYMS FOR beast

3 cad, swine, pig, brute, savage, ogre, monster, barbarian.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beast ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

beast·like, adjective

Synonym study

1. See animal.

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

Examples from the Web for beast

Despite the strong language, however, the neither the JPO nor Lockheed could dispute a single fact in either Daily Beast report.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal|Dave Majumdar|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We quietly did,” Reed previously told The Daily Beast of removing ISIS.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That is why The Daily Beast stands with Charlie Hebdo and published their controversial covers in the wake of the attack.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“He has to really stay on the down low, he has to make sure that he blends in,” Ney told the Beast.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Yazbek tells The Daily Beast that the traffickers guarantee their service, and they treat the Syrian refugees with respect.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It's no the burden, but the owerburden, that kills the beast.
The Proverbs of Scotland|Alexander Hislop
For, indeed, it was apparent That the beast was very sick.
The Bon Gaultier Ballads|William Edmonstoune Aytoun
I should feel myself to be loathsome, and, as it were, a beast among women.
Can You Forgive Her?|Anthony Trollope
The old mare went better than could have been expected from such a skeleton of a beast.
Life in the Clearings versus the Bush|Susanna Moodie
Fortunately the animal had been big and strong, for once Frank had seemed to have little mercy on the beast he bestrode.
Frank Merriwell's Backers|Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for beast

beast

/ (biːst) /

noun

any animal other than man, esp a large wild quadruped

savage nature or characteristicsthe beast in man

a brutal, uncivilized, or filthy person

verb

(tr) military slang, slang, mainly British to punish or torture (someone) in a manner that involves excessive physical exercise

Word Origin for beast

C13: from Old French beste, from Latin bestia, of obscure origin

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

beast

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of beast

SYNONYMS FOR beast

Related forms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for beast

British Dictionary definitions for beast

beast

noun

verb

Word Origin for beast