bevel

American  

[bev-uhl] / ˈbɛv əl /

noun

bevels plural

1. the inclination that one line or surface makes with another when not at right angles.

2. a surface that does not form a right angle with adjacent surfaces.

3. (of a lock bolt) the oblique end that hits the strike plate.

4. (of a lock with a beveled bolt) the side facing in the same direction as the bevel at the end of the bolt.

5. bevel square.

6. an adjustable instrument for drawing angles or adjusting the surface of work to a particular inclination.

7. Printing. beard.

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verb (used with or without object)

bevels, present (3rd person singular) beveled, past participle, past bevelled, past participle, past beveling, present participle bevelling present participle

1. to cut or slant at a bevel.

   to bevel an edge to prevent splintering.

adjective

1. Also beveled; bevelled. oblique; sloping; slanted.

bevel British  

/ ˈbɛvəl /

noun

1. 1. Also called: cant.  a surface that meets another at an angle other than a right angle Compare chamfer

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bevel edge

      bevel square

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verb

1. (intr) to be inclined; slope

2. (tr) to cut a bevel on (a piece of timber, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• beveler
  noun
• beveller
  noun
• underbeveling
  noun
• bevelled
  adjective
• unbeveled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bevels
  plural

Participles

• beveling
  present
• bevelling
  present
• beveled
  past
• bevelled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bevel
  simple
• bevels
  simple
• have beveled
  perfect
• have bevelled
  perfect
• has beveled
  perfect
• has bevelled
  perfect
• am beveling
  progressive
• am bevelling
  progressive
• are beveling
  progressive
• are bevelling
  progressive
• is beveling
  progressive
• is bevelling
  progressive
• have been beveling
  perfect progressive
• have been bevelling
  perfect progressive
• has been beveling
  perfect progressive
• has been bevelling
  perfect progressive

Past

• beveled
  simple
• bevelled
  simple
• had beveled
  perfect
• had bevelled
  perfect
• was beveling
  progressive
• was bevelling
  progressive
• were beveling
  progressive
• were bevelling
  progressive
• had been beveling
  perfect progressive
• had been bevelling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bevel
  simple
• will have beveled
  perfect
• will have bevelled
  perfect
• will be beveling
  progressive
• will be bevelling
  progressive
• will have been beveling
  perfect progressive
• will have been bevelling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bevel

First recorded in 1555–65; from unattested Middle French bevel ( French béveau, biveau ), unattested Old French baivel, equivalent to baïf “with open mouth” ( ba(er) “to gape” ( see bay ²) + -if adjective suffix) + -el, from Latin -ellus noun suffix; see -ive, -elle

Example Sentences

To bear up under the higher stress, the PDK’s clutches, gearsets and bevel gear have all been reinforced.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

According to Adidas, the Weagle design on the front of the sweater features a “combination of sublimation and classic twill embroidery,” producing a bevel effect.

From Washington Post • Jan. 26, 2023

Shifting into fifth gear, I straddled the centerline to correct the bevel toward the borrow pit and accelerated into triple digits.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2022

The building nods nicely to the past, with its off-white, bevel siding and flat roof that juts out over a concrete island, a place where sculptures will reside instead of gas pumps.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2022

The overlap is cut down to a plain bevel so as to reduce the joint to nearly or quite the same thickness as the main body of the belt.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua