a gesture used to signal, summon, or direct someone.
Chiefly Scot. a bow or curtsy of greeting.
a nod, wave, or other gesture or signal
ready to obey someone's orders instantly; subject to someone's slightest whim
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb bekken, bec, variant of beckenen, bek(e)nen beckon; noun derivative of the verb
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”
First recorded in 1830–35 as beck-iron; verb use of the noun beck, shortening of beck-iron, a variant of bick-iron
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An instant classic in this exchange -- BECK: You don't want to fight, you don't want to stand and fight.
From Salon • Mar. 9, 2010
To-day the lot fell upon Mr. BECK, who good-temperedly explained, when a shower of "supplementaries" rained down upon him, that he really knew nothing about the Department he was temporarily representing.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, March 28, 1917 by Various
BECK, WILLIAM; "Outline of English Grammar;" very small, pp.
From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold
There is also a valuable paper on the same subject by Mr. LE BECK, in the Asiatic Researches, vol. v. p.
From Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon by Tennent, James Emerson, Sir
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.
