beep

[ beep ]

noun

1. a short, relatively high-pitched tone produced by a horn, electronic device, or the like as a signal, summons, or warning.
2. one of the periodic signals sounded by a beeper.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or emit such a sound:

   When the timer beeps, take the cake out of the oven.

verb (used with object)

1. to sound (a horn, warning signal, etc.):

   impatient drivers beeping their horns.

2. to announce, warn, summon, etc., by beeping:

   The doctor was beeped to call the hospital.

beep

/ biːp /

noun

1. a short high-pitched sound, esp one made by the horn of a car, bicycle, etc, or by electronic apparatus

verb

1. to make or cause to make such a noise

Derived Forms

• ˈbeeper, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of beep¹

First recorded in 1925–30; imitative

Word History and Origins

Origin of beep¹

C20: of imitative origin

Example Sentences

David, one of the volunteers, glances back and forth between a piece of white paper in his left hand and a GPS satellite phone in the other, listening for the distant beep every time the system acknowledges a coordinate.

From Salon

"As a deaf person, I can't hear the beep when I scan items so I'm always getting in a tangle with them as they don't always scan correctly," said Anna Kenyon from Manchester.

From BBC

For the last two weeks, White and his neighbors have heard frequent honking at any and all hours coming from the Waymo lot, often waking him in the middle of the night as the cars beep at each other — a seemingly worthless alert as one unmanned vehicle honks at another.

From Los Angeles Times

"When you drive in Paris, people, mostly the motorcycles, put on the light and just go beep, beep, beep, and they just continue in between cars," says Elisabeth.

From BBC

“We don’t have a code,” said a woman from Mexico, watching others – armed with the requisite QR security code – pass, with an approving beep, through a police checkpoint.

From BBC