beast

[ beest ]

noun

1. any nonhuman animal, especially a large, four-footed mammal.
2. the crude animal nature common to humans and the lower animals:

   Hunger brought out the beast in him.

3. a cruel, coarse, filthy, or otherwise beastlike person.

   Synonyms: barbarian, monster, ogre, savage, brute, pig, swine, cad

4. a live creature, as distinguished from a plant:

   What manner of beast is this?

5. the beast, the Antichrist.

beast

/ biːst /

noun

1. any animal other than man, esp a large wild quadruped
2. savage nature or characteristics

   the beast in man

3. a brutal, uncivilized, or filthy person

verb

1. slang:military.
   tr to punish or torture (someone) in a manner that involves excessive physical exercise

Other Words From

• beastlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of beast¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English be(e)ste, from Old French beste ( French bête ), from Latin bēstia

Word History and Origins

Origin of beast¹

C13: from Old French beste , from Latin bestia , of obscure origin

Synonym Study

See animal.

Example Sentences

Jehovah's Witnesses reject homosexuality and Evans - the Welsh actor whose films include Beauty and the Beast, The Hobbit, and Fast & Furious 6 - understood he would be expelled from the community if he came out, with implications for his family too.

From BBC

Except it wasn’t a terrifying beast — it was a person in a bear costume using a kitchen tool designed to shred meat, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2018, the infamous Beast from the East, which affected many parts of Europe, lasted well into meteorological spring.

From BBC

“Sets going to failure, with a long time under tension, is a very uncomfortable, unnecessarily painful workout,” Casey Johnston, author of the weightlifting newsletter “She’s a Beast,” said.

From Los Angeles Times

The Daily Beast was the first to report that Wallace’s departure.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brute
• cad
• ogre
• ogress