a thick growth of hair on the face, especially on an adult man, often including a mustache.
He's been growing out his beard for a couple of months, and it's filling in nicely.
Zoology. a tuft, growth, or part resembling or suggesting the thick growth of hair on the human face, such as the tuft of long hairs on the lower jaw of a goat or the cluster of hairlike feathers at the base of the bill in certain birds.
Botany. a tuft or growth of awns or the like, as on wheat or barley.
a barb or catch on an arrow, fishhook, knitting needle, crochet needle, etc.
Also called bevel neck. Printing.
the sloping part of a type that connects the face with the shoulder of the body.
British. the space on a type between the bottom of the face of an x-high character and the edge of the body, comprising both beard and shoulder.
the cross stroke on the stem of a capital G.
Slang. a romantic partner chosen to conceal a person's sexual orientation, especially that of a gay or lesbian person.
Charles Austin, 1874–1948, and his wife Mary, 1876–1958, U.S. historians.
Daniel Carter, 1850–1941, U.S. artist and naturalist: organized the Boy Scouts of America in 1910.
James Andrew, 1903–85, U.S. cooking teacher and food writer.
the hair growing on the lower parts of a man's face
any similar growth in animals
a tuft of long hairs in plants such as barley and wheat; awn
the gills of an oyster
a barb, as on an arrow or fish-hook
slang a woman who accompanies a homosexual man to give the impression that he is heterosexual
printing the part of a piece of type that connects the face with the shoulder
to oppose boldly or impertinently
to pull or grasp the beard of
First recorded before 900; Middle English berd, Old English beard; cognate with Dutch baard, German Bart, Late Latin Langobardi “Long-beards (name of the Lombards),” Crimean Gothic bars; akin to Latin barba, Lithuanian barzdà, Old Church Slavonic brada, Russian borodá
A beard is the facial hair on a person's chin and cheeks. Santa Claus is famous in part for his long, white beard. You're most likely to see a beard on an adult man, although some women grow enough facial hair to sport a beard too. Some animals, like goats, have beards as well. Someone whose presence helps another person disguise his identity — maybe because he's a spy — is often informally called a beard as well.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His hair, previously dyed jet black, had gone entirely silver and his thick mustache had been replaced by a scruffy beard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some people were crazy about how he had a beard and said that he was in a sleeper cell and all this stuff.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
A plainspoken veteran with a dense beard and a closet full of grimy sweatshirts, Platner fit the bill.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
The rumbustious pirate, now looking at 50, with salt sprinkled through his red beard, sounds oddly subdued.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Aunt Pretty held up a doll that had a grizzled-fur beard and stuffing around the middle.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Chair of the judges Mary Beard described the 13 novels as "dynamite", adding: "We are confident that our longlist of books has something for everyone."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Beard: I was telling my sister that I really liked “Lizzie McGuire” because it was one of the first times I saw somebody’s inner dialogue acted out in cartoon form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
His co-writer, Hilary Beard, said that he insisted in detailing his infidelity in the book as a cautionary tale to demonstrate what his behavior did to his family and his business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Bûcheron — James Beard Award-winning Bûcheron may have softened my love-hate relationship with French cuisine.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Have fun with the sharks,” Square Glasses said to Chicken before walking away with Blond Beard.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
In a theatrical touch, around two dozen soldiers wearing historic-style suits of armour, pointed helmets and what appeared to be fake beards and moustaches stood outside the palace itself.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
A 22-year-old Kabul University student said lecturers "have warned us... that if we don't have a proper Islamic appearance, which includes beards and head covering, they will deduct our marks".
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
After World War I, secular ideas from the outside world began filtering through, with men daring to shave off their beards and married women refusing to cover their hair with wigs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
Arguably the most visible opposition to his edicts had been minor and limited - for example not enforcing regulations like the ban on shaving beards in regions controlled by Kabul group-aligned officials.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
Victor would have happily given three of his favorite false beards to read her thoughts.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Other entrants include a trans woman named Ashley Webb and a gloriously bearded Marine vet.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
In Irvington, N.Y., outside the town hall, a heavily bearded figure lies beneath a beech tree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The site is home to bird species including bearded tit, avocet, redshank and lapwing.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Its bearded guerrilla fighters inspired 1960s student movements from Paris to Mexico City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Or that bearded guy who was carrying one of those red baskets.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
There’s talk of bearding dragons in their den and of forthcoming battles, plus a rather lovely foray into a deep cave system.
From The Guardian ● May 11, 2016
John Buckler, 31, from Lansing, Mich., likened the bearding community to a social club.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2011
Indeed, a pop star and a bearding champion had walked into a bar.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2011
They also had the impertinence to use heavy-handed humor in bearding the heavy-handed czar.
From Time Magazine Archive
The grey moss grew thickly here, covering the fallen stones in great mounds and bearding all the towers.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
