beau

American  

[boh] / boʊ /

noun

plural

beaus, beaux

1. a male lover or sweetheart.

2. a frequent and attentive male escort for a girl or woman.

3. a dandy; fop.

   Synonyms:

   coxcomb, dude, blade, swell, peacock

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verb (used with object)

1. to escort (a girl or woman), as to a social gathering.

beau British  

/ bəʊ /

noun

1. a lover, sweetheart, or escort of a girl or woman

2. a man who is greatly concerned with his clothes and appearance; dandy

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Other Word Forms

• beauish adjective

Etymology

Origin of beau

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from French, from Latin bellus “beautiful”

Example Sentences

Old enough to know that John Donaldson, her beau of more than a decade, was the man she wanted to marry.

From Los Angeles Times

When I ask for his American political beau ideal, he says Alexander Hamilton.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Will’s beau idéal, Ronald Reagan, used it frequently on the rubber-chicken-and-peas circuit.

From Salon

It’s not surprising that Mr. Serrano found his way to Ms. Wilson, who, like Mr. Duncan, the author’s beau ideal of a player, “banks in beauty.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• boyfriend
• lover
• paramour
• suitor
• sweetheart