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• beck
  beck

  noun

  a gesture used to signal, summon, or direct someone.
• Beck
  Beck

  noun

  Dave, 1894–1993, U.S. labor leader: president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 1952–57.

beck

¹ American  

[bek] / bɛk /

noun

1. a gesture used to signal, summon, or direct someone.

2. Chiefly Scot. a bow or curtsy of greeting.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Archaic. beckon.

idioms

1. at someone's beck and call, ready to do someone's bidding; subject to someone's slightest wish.

   He has three servants at his beck and call.

beck ² American  

[bek] / bɛk /

noun

North England.

1. a brook, especially a swiftly running stream with steep banks.

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beck ³ American  

[bek] / bɛk /

verb (used with object)

Metalworking.

1. to form (a billet or the like) into a tire or hoop by rolling or hammering on a mandrel or anvil.

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Beck ⁴ American  

[bek] / bɛk /

noun

1. Dave, 1894–1993, U.S. labor leader: president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 1952–57.

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beck ¹ British  

/ bɛk /

noun

1. a nod, wave, or other gesture or signal

2. ready to obey someone's orders instantly; subject to someone's slightest whim

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beck ² British  

/ bɛk /

noun

1. (in N England) a stream, esp a swiftly flowing one

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beck More Idioms  

1. see at someone's beck and call.

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Etymology

Origin of beck¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb bekken, bec, variant of beckenen, bek(e)nen beckon; noun derivative of the verb

Origin of beck²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bek, bec(k), from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse bekkr; akin to Old English bæc, bec, bece, Dutch beek, German Bach “brook”

Origin of beck³

First recorded in 1830–35 as beck-iron; verb use of the noun beck, shortening of beck-iron, a variant of bick-iron

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beck Beck

And as you imply, the new chairman of the Fed will have hundreds of Ph.D.s at his beck and call for whatever studies he may desire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026

Any renewable company that is a subsidiary of a fossil fuel firm made the list, for instance, because they are "at the beck and call" of their parent group, Galey said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025

“You can control traffic, you can control lighting. All of the equipment is at your beck and call.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2024

In her book, Mulley describes two occasions when Granville was able to turn a snarling guard dog kept by border patrols into her pet that would follow her beck and call.

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024

He was Bill Bro- beck, a rusty-haired twenty-nine-year-old who wandered into the lab one day in the summer of 1937 out of sheer curiosity.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Both of those steps should be completed this year, allowing Rocket Lab to assemble and test its complete stage-one tank in the first quarter of 2027, Beck said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

In a presentation, Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said the launch was delayed due to an issue with the manufacturing process for Neutron’s forward dome.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Attorney Marina Z. Beck in her declaration accused Martinez of refusing to provide information to Berry about their son and his education, of interfering with their son’s therapy and of refusing to follow therapist recommendations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

"But that's not been the story at all," said director Mike Beck.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

"Probably passed out, Commander," Beck said over the radio.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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