beard

1 of 2

noun

1
: the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache
2
: a hairy or bristly appendage or tuft
3
beardless adjective

beard

2 of 2

verb

bearded; bearding; beards

transitive verb

1
: to confront and oppose with boldness, resolution, and often effrontery : defy
2
: to furnish with a beard

Examples of beard in a Sentence

Noun He grew a beard and mustache. the beard of a goat Verb a man of integrity who was never afraid to beard the lion in his den
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Men in the faith are easily recognizable since many wear colorful turbans that hold up their uncut hair and have long beards. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 An image from surveillance video shows a suspect, a 45-50 year old black male, with a gray mustache and beard. Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2024 Kelce sported a fresh look for the occasion, including a shorter beard and bold Louis Vuitton outfit. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 In a grueling 20-day journey to get there, Navalny grew out a beard. The Editors, National Review, 16 Feb. 2024 Skywalkers have thinner eyebrows, a black or brown beard instead of a white one, and incomplete white face rings on the females. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024 The country exported about 1,680 tons or $167 million of false eyelashes, beards and wigs to China last year, compared with $31.1 million in 2019 when prices were lower. Hooyeon Kim, Fortune Asia, 4 Feb. 2024 His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex. Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Turner, a native of Mt. Clemons, Michigan, was the heart and soul of Blackberry Smoke, a gregarious presence with a long beard, wild hair, and boisterous laugh. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English berd, from Old English beard; akin to Old High German bart beard, Latin barba

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of beard was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near beard

Cite this Entry

“Beard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beard. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beard

1 of 2 noun
1
: the hair that grows on a man's face often not including the mustache
2
: a hairy or bristly growth or bunch (as on the chin of a goat)
bearded adjective
beardless adjective

beard

2 of 2 verb
: to face or challenge boldly
bearded his enemy

Medical Definition

beard

noun
: the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache
bearded adjective

Biographical Definition

Beard 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Charles Austin 1874–1948 and his wife Mary 1876–1958 née Ritter American historians

Beard

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Daniel Carter 1850–1941 Uncle Dan American painter, illustrator, and organizer of Boy Scouts in U.S.

More from Merriam-Webster on beard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!