plural betas
1
: the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet see Alphabet Table
2
: something or someone designated with the name beta or the Greek letter β especially denoting the second in position, order, or class
3
: a nearly complete prototype of a product (such as software)
the beta version
also
: a stage of development in which a product is nearly complete but not yet ready for release
The app is still in beta.
4
: beta particle
beta emissions
5
: a measure of the risk potential of a stock or an investment portfolio expressed as a ratio of the stock's or portfolio's volatility to the volatility of the market as a whole
Beta measures a stock's price volatility—or risk—compared with the market in general …—
Marlys J. Harris
Marlys J. Harris6
: beta wave
The findings could also help scientists better understand other beta-associated disorders, such as Parkinson's disease or obsessive compulsive disorder …—Brown University News Release (Providence, Rhode Island)
Brown University News Release (Providence, Rhode Island)
: second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
beta substitution
—often used in combination —symbol β
Examples of beta in a Sentence
Noun
a program that is currently in beta
Recent Examples on the WebEmma Roth, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
The company is a customer of the design software powerhouse Autodesk, and its employees were among the first users of Autodesk’s Workshop XR, a 3D design review software which was announced in November and is available in beta.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Called Maestro, the offering is still in beta and available only to a small number of Amazon Music users on all tiers in the United States on iOS and Android.
—Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
Adobe also on Monday launched a free mobile version of the AI assistant in beta where customers can ask it questions via voice commands.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
The results suggested that syncing brain waves in the beta band, which is linked with motor functions, enhanced the ability of participants to synchronize their body movements — in this case, drumming a rhythm with their fingers.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Hulu content first became available on Disney+ in beta form late last year, but now the service is fully integrated, with executives touting a slew of technical moves needed to enable the move.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Inside crepey wrinkles and wiry fur, heavy brows and grubby nails, plodding feet and soft, pale bellies are Keough and her three co-stars, Nathan Zellner as the alpha, Jesse Eisenberg as the beta and Christophe Zajac-Denek as the child who occasionally suckles at Keough’s breasts.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
This beta release follows Google’s shipment of a developer preview of Android 15 in February that focused on privacy and security, followed by a second developer preview in March that revealed new satellite-roaming and PDF-display features.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Devan Coggan, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Image: Microsoft Microsoft started testing ads inside the File Explorer of Windows 11 last year before disabling the experiment in beta versions of Windows 11.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Tesla charges more for FSD and its promise of a self-driving car, while now in a beta phase, is a major selling point for the company to both car buyers and investors.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
Ultimately, the company concluded that the beta version of Fedora Linux 40 contained two affected versions of the xz libraries.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Microsoft made a downloadable ISO disk image file for the beta Insider version available for installing Windows 11, allowing in-place upgrades or clean installations on a PC or in a virtual machine.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Their cheerful orange color comes from beta carotene, which supports healthy eyesight.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 27 Jan. 2024
In two months, Jones had a beta site up and running in 2021.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Plus, beta radiation isn't as harmful as, say, gamma rays.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Meta is rolling out real-time AI image generation in beta for WhatsApp users in the US.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
The company is a customer of the design software powerhouse Autodesk, and its employees were among the first users of Autodesk’s Workshop XR, a 3D design review software which was announced in November and is available in beta.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Called Maestro, the offering is still in beta and available only to a small number of Amazon Music users on all tiers in the United States on iOS and Android.
—Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
Adobe also on Monday launched a free mobile version of the AI assistant in beta where customers can ask it questions via voice commands.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
The results suggested that syncing brain waves in the beta band, which is linked with motor functions, enhanced the ability of participants to synchronize their body movements — in this case, drumming a rhythm with their fingers.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Hulu content first became available on Disney+ in beta form late last year, but now the service is fully integrated, with executives touting a slew of technical moves needed to enable the move.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Inside crepey wrinkles and wiry fur, heavy brows and grubby nails, plodding feet and soft, pale bellies are Keough and her three co-stars, Nathan Zellner as the alpha, Jesse Eisenberg as the beta and Christophe Zajac-Denek as the child who occasionally suckles at Keough’s breasts.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
This beta release follows Google’s shipment of a developer preview of Android 15 in February that focused on privacy and security, followed by a second developer preview in March that revealed new satellite-roaming and PDF-display features.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The film follows four unique sasquatches over one year: Nathan appears as the group’s brutish, alpha-like leader, while Eisenberg plays a more beta second-in-command.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Image: Microsoft Microsoft started testing ads inside the File Explorer of Windows 11 last year before disabling the experiment in beta versions of Windows 11.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Tesla charges more for FSD and its promise of a self-driving car, while now in a beta phase, is a major selling point for the company to both car buyers and investors.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
Ultimately, the company concluded that the beta version of Fedora Linux 40 contained two affected versions of the xz libraries.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Microsoft made a downloadable ISO disk image file for the beta Insider version available for installing Windows 11, allowing in-place upgrades or clean installations on a PC or in a virtual machine.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Their cheerful orange color comes from beta carotene, which supports healthy eyesight.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 27 Jan. 2024
In two months, Jones had a beta site up and running in 2021.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Plus, beta radiation isn't as harmful as, say, gamma rays.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beta.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Beta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beta. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
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