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• beta
  beta

  noun

  the second letter of the Greek alphabet (β, B).
• Beta
  Beta

  noun

  (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) a star in a constellation, usually the second brightest

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Slang dictionary results for beta.

beta

American  

[bay-tuh, bee-] / ˈbeɪ tə, ˈbi- /

noun

• betas
  plural

1. the second letter of the Greek alphabet (β, B).

2. the consonant sound represented by the second letter of the Greek alphabet.

3. Astronomy. Beta, a star that is usually the second brightest of a constellation.

   The second brightest star in Taurus is Beta Tauri.

4. Chemistry.

   1. one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.

   2. one of two or more isomeric compounds.

5. the second of any series, as in chemistry or physics.

6. Computers. the phase of hardware or software development in which a product is tested in the environment for which it was designed.

   Our newest product, currently in beta with new features being added regularly, is perfect for busy professionals who need to organize their calendars.

7. Also called beta coefficient, beta line. Stock Exchange. an arbitrary measure of the volatility of a given stock using an index of the volatility of the market as a whole.

   A beta of 1.1 indicates a stock that is 10 percent more volatile than the market.

8. Trademark. Beta, a brand of tape format for VCR tape, incompatible with other formats.

9. Chiefly British. a grade showing that a student is in the middle or second of three scholastic sections in a class.

10. beta male.

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adjective

1. Computers. being, relating to, or undergoing the phase of product development in which a product is tested in the environment for which it was designed.

   The beta version of the new game, featuring a four-player mode, will be unveiled next month.

2. 1. (of an animal) having the second-highest rank in a dominance hierarchy.

      the beta female in a pack of meerkats.

   2. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging. being or relating to a man who is perceived to be weak, mild-mannered, and unimpressive.

beta ¹ British  

/ ˈbiːtə /

noun

1. the second letter in the Greek alphabet (Β, β), a consonant, transliterated as b

2. the second highest grade or mark, as in an examination

3. (modifier)

   1. involving or relating to electrons

      beta emitter

   2. relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid

      beta iron

   3. relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound

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Beta ² British  

/ ˈbiːtə /

noun

1. (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) a star in a constellation, usually the second brightest

   Beta Persei

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• betas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of beta

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin, from Greek bêta, from Phoenician bt “house,” also the name of the second letter of the Phoenician alphabet; cf. beth

Explanation

Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. It also refers to a preliminary model of software or hardware that's being tested but is not quite a finished product. The Greek letter beta, β, is used in several fields, including statistics, physics, finance, and geometry, to represent different things. Because it's the second letter in the Greek alphabet, right after alpha, it's often used to mean "secondary" or "second in order" — as in a "beta particle," the second type of radiation discovered by Ernest Rutherford. In technology, a beta version of software is in the secondary testing phase, when it's a nearly complete prototype. A company may let some people use the beta version to help work out some kinks before releasing the final version.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beta Beta betas

Portfolio managers and active investors use beta to evaluate how volatile an individual stock is compared with the broader market.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

In mice, researchers found that ImP reaching the brain increased the accumulation of abnormal beta amyloid and tau proteins, two major hallmarks associated with Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

In contrast, during all other weeks, on average, there is no statistically significant relationship between beta and return.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

With every merger there’s a dominant and a submissive, an alpha and a beta, a winner and a loser.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

“But you seem so unhappy, beta? Ma finished softly. “So unhappy.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Hours later, I was expelled from Zeta Beta Tau, my social fraternity, because its leaders were concerned my beliefs would reflect poorly on my brothers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Despite her patchy schooling, Steinem received a scholarship to Smith College, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa after majoring in government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Barrientos is known for his work with the YouTube collective Beta Squad, and has appeared in the celebrity version of Bake Off on Channel 4 and presented BBC Three shows.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

For example, the one-month average daily percent change for the Goldman Sachs High Beta Momentum Basket surged to its highest level since 2020 in July.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

They were called Alpha and Beta, and Abenthy fed them carrots and lumps of sugar when he thought no one was looking.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

While most of those chip makers have “betas” greater than 1—meaning their daily moves in the last few years have been larger than the S&P 500’s moves—all of the stocks above have betas below 1.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Consider the performance of a hypothetical portfolio that buys the 10% of stocks with the highest betas and sells short the decile of stocks with the lowest betas.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025

“We’re betas pretending to be alphas,” Denton said.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

If the recipient of your attempted rug-sweeping isn’t running the public betas on every device they use for iMessage, you’re the only one who will see history as you wish you’d written it.

From The Verge ● Jul. 14, 2022

Greek letters move across the undersides of his eyelids: isosceles triangles, betas, sine curves.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr