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BEM

¹ American

[bem] / bɛm /

(in especially pulp science fiction) bug-eyed monster: an extraterrestrial being, especially one having a grotesque appearance.

B.E.M. ² American

abbreviation

Bachelor of Engineering of Mines.
British Empire Medal.

BEM British

abbreviation

British Empire Medal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of BEM

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

A number of people have become Medallists of the Order of the British Empire – known as BEM – for services to their local communities.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Tony Hudgell, aged nine, is this year's youngest recipient, receiving a BEM for services to the prevention of child abuse.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2023

She said the BEM is "a great honour".

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2023

Buckingham Palace said that many of the 450 BEM recipients chosen to attend the coronation had been "instrumental in providing services and support to their local communities during the Covid-19 lockdowns".

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2023

I say "Send them a letter postmarked Outer Space signed BEM saying we lost our own planet in a nova and will take over theirs two weeks from Tuesday."

From The Lost Kafoozalum by Ashwell, Pauline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023