noun
-
a lover, sweetheart, or escort of a girl or woman
-
a man who is greatly concerned with his clothes and appearance; dandy
Other Word Forms
- beauish adjective
Etymology
Origin of beau
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from French, from Latin bellus “beautiful”
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.
When she begins dating the owner of a local pet shop, Iona immediately falls in step with her yuppie new beau.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
When I ask for his American political beau ideal, he says Alexander Hamilton.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Was this the last time the music megastar would grace the Kelce family luxury suite to watch her beau rack up the receptions?
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2025
Octavia, in which a gushing party girl falls instantly in love with a blond, sharp-cheeked beau called Jeremy, later became an ITV series.
From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025
“The younger sister married. Stole her sister’s beau, I’ve no doubt.”
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
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.
