bean Hear it!

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bean definition

bean (bēn)

noun

  1. any of various leguminous plants; esp., any of several species of a genus (Phaseolus) of the pea family, including the kidney bean and lima bean
  2. the edible, smooth, kidney-shaped seed of any of these plants
  3. a pod with such seeds, eaten as a vegetable when still unripe
  4. the bean-shaped seed of some other plants coffee bean
  5. any of these other plants castor bean tree
  6. ☆ Slang the head, brain, or mind
  7. ☆ Slang even a small amount: used in negative constructions not to know beans about something

Etymology: ME ben < OE bean; akin to ON baun, Ger bohne < ? IE *bhabhā > L faba, bean

transitive verb

  1. Slang to hit on the head
  2. Baseball to hit (a batter) on the head with a pitched ball
bean Idioms

full of beans

Slang
  1. full of energy and vitality; lively
  2. ☆ mistaken; in error

spill the beans

☆
Informal to divulge secret information

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms bean idiom

bean Synonyms

bean

n.

  1. A leguminous plant

    legume, pulse, snap bean, shell bean, seed, pod, frijol (Spanish), haricot. see also string bean.

    Varieties include: kidney, navy, lima, soy, castor, black, pinto, lentil, mung, frijol, carob, goa, snap, string, black-eyed or black-eye pea, stringless, pole, bush, green, wax, fava, haricot vert (French), butter, Egyptian, hyacinth, Calabar or ordeal, coffee, cacao, jumping;

  2. A small hard pellet

    kernel, seed, berry, nugget, bullet, pill, grain, knot, node, nodule, nodosity.

full of beans*

  1. lively, vital, energetic; see active 2.

  2. mistaken, erring, incorrect;

spill the beans*

divulge information, tell secrets, talk; see reveal 1, tell 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bean Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • bake: Come economic meltdown I'd rather be the proud owner of 10 % baked beans than 10 % gold.

Modifies a noun

  • curd: Next to the dried beans and rice were stalls of fresh noodles and bean curd.

Adjective modifier

  • mung: Mung beans are an excellent source of vital nutrients.

Preposition: on

  • toast: My cookery skills are limited to beans on toast.

Noun used with modifier

  • soya: Soak the soya beans overnight in plenty of cold water.
bean usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

bean quotes

   And this isgood old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots And the Cabots talk only to God.

-Bossidy,John Collins

His English reminds me of tattered washing on the line†of stale bean-soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights. It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it. 566

-Mencken, H(enry) L(ouis)

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings.

-Yeats,W(illiam) B(utler)

bean quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"bean." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bean>

APA Style

bean. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bean

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