noun
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a lover, sweetheart, or escort of a girl or woman
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a man who is greatly concerned with his clothes and appearance; dandy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of beau
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from French, from Latin bellus “beautiful”
Explanation
A beau is an old-fashioned term for "boyfriend." When your great-grandmother was young, she probably had a beau. Beau means "handsome" in French. Pronounce it the same way the French do, with a long o: "boh." The word recalls more innocent times, when gentleman courted their ladies and skirts barely rose above ankle level. You'll hardly ever hear beau used today, unless you're watching a movie, play or television drama set in the past.
Vocabulary lists containing beau
Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
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The Glass Menagerie
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The Haunting of Hill House
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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.
It is understood that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had been working on the changes for several years, before Beau Vine's registration.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Beau Busch of the International Federation of Professional Footballers said that “we’re unable to get in touch with the players. That’s incredibly concerning.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
Beau Greaves "couldn't believe it" as she made history in becoming the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish on the PDC ProTour.
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
Spelling reportedly resides in a $12,000-a-month rental in Calabasas with her five children: Liam, 18, Stella, 17, Hattie, 14, Finn, 13, and Beau, 8.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026
I needed room for Beau in his duffel.
From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart
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.
