beak

American  

[beek] / bik /

noun

1. the bill of a bird; neb.

2. any similar horny mouthpart in other animals, as the turtle or duckbill.

3. anything beaklike or ending in a point, as the spout of a pitcher.

4. Slang. a person's nose.

5. Entomology. proboscis.

6. Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.

7. Nautical. (formerly) a metal or metal-sheathed projection from the bow of a warship, used to ram enemy vessels; ram; rostrum.

8. Typography. a serif on the arm of a character, as of a K.

9. Also called bird's beak.  Architecture. a pendant molding forming a drip, as on the soffit of a cornice.

10. Chiefly British Slang.

    1. a judge; magistrate.

    2. a schoolmaster.

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beak ¹ British  

/ biːkt, biːk /

noun

1. the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill

2. any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles

3. slang a person's nose, esp one that is large, pointed, or hooked

4. any projecting part, such as the pouring lip of a bucket

5. architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water

6. chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser

7. nautical another word for ram

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beak ² British  

/ biːk /

noun

1. a Brit slang word for judge magistrate headmaster schoolmaster

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Other Word Forms

• beaked adjective
• beakless adjective
• beaklike adjective
• beaky adjective
• underbeak noun

Etymology

Origin of beak

1175–1225; Middle English bec < Old French < Latin beccus < Gaulish

Example Sentences

With a razor-sharp banana for a beak and a wingspan surpassing 6 feet, there aren’t many flying things on this continent that can top it.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

By then, however, the golden beak had long vanished and its original, three-dimensional shape had folded into its current fan-like form.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025

Meanwhile the narrator’s financially devious husband appears as a vulture with “the brooding eye, the blood-tipped beak, the flabby folds of flesh” of a bird of prey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

A council spokesperson said the attraction is "projected to beak even" within five years of of a planned major revamp, which will mark "an important milestone in its long-term sustainability".

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025

And William has a small bubble floating above his beak, filled with the word Quack!

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Related Words

• snout