bead

noun \ ˈbēd \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of bead

1 a obsolete : prayer —usually used in plural

b beads plural : a series of prayers and meditations made with a rosary

2 : a small piece of material pierced for threading on a string or wire (as in a rosary)

3 beads plural

a : rosary

b : a necklace of beads or pearls

4 : a small ball-shaped body: such as

a : a drop of sweat or blood

b : a bubble formed in or on a beverage

c : a small metal knob on a firearm used as a front sight

d : a blob or a line of weld metal

5 : a projecting rim, band, or molding

6 : a precise knowledge or understanding —used in such phrases as get a bead on

See bead defined for English-language learners

See bead defined for kids

Examples of bead in a Sentence

Beads of sweat began rolling down their faces.
squeeze a bead or two of glue onto the seam

Recent Examples of bead from the Web

In the film, technology plays a big role, from the prevalence of vibranium to the use of kimoyo beads to remote piloting of planes.

— New York Times, "What’s It Like to Visit Wakanda? You Had Some (Great) Ideas," 3 Apr. 2018
There were handwritten notes from friends and strange tirades from far away, strings of beads, and bizarre totems of mysterious significance.

— nestor ramos, BostonGlobe.com, "Parkland tries to build unity after tragedy," 31 Mar. 2018
The colors of the faith, the candles, the beads, the ornate masks, the blessed saints mimic the vibrancies of our culture.

— sarah betancourt, Longreads, "The Religion No One Talks About: My Search For Answers in an Old Caribbean Faith," 30 Mar. 2018
Guests who show up for DROP-IN WORKSHOPS ON DECORATIVE EGGS will have an opportunity to transform a basic egg shape into a miniature work of art using beads, baubles and bling.

— greg crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Plan your weekend: Baseball exhibit at the DIA, egg hunt at the zoo, falling marshmallows," 28 Mar. 2018
The mood is decidedly more subdued in late winter, but, a few weeks ago, a man wearing a black turban and a necklace of wooden beads went in search of a light and found a tall blond woman lounging on a bench outside.

— neima jahromi, The New Yorker, "Reggae and Romance at Lovers Rock," 23 Mar. 2018
Modern iterations decorated with beads, metallic thread, or colorful highlights will turn heads, and plain chunky braids still provide low-maintenance glamour.

— Allure, "14 Dope Ways to Style Your Box Braids," 21 Mar. 2018
The actress wore an elaborate Atelier Versace look covered in draped strands of gold beads with a train of bold blue feathers cascading from the hem.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Blake Lively Already Picked Her Met Gala 2018 Dress—And It's Taken Over 600 Hours to Make," 16 Mar. 2018
Teamsters flung strings of green and gold beads from flatbed trucks.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "St. Patrick's Day Parade Packs Downtown Day After Facebook Threat," 10 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The beads you might wear around your neck once represented prayers. The Middle English word bede at first meant “a prayer.” People then, as now, often kept track of the number and order of a series of prayers with the help of a string of little balls. Because each of these balls stands for a prayer, the word bede came to be used for the balls themselves. Today this same word, now spelled bead, is used to refer to any small piece of material with a hole in it for threading on a string or wire.

Origin and Etymology of bead

Middle English bede prayer, prayer bead, from Old English bed, gebed prayer; akin to Old English biddan to entreat, pray — more at bid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

bead Synonyms

Synonyms

blob, driblet, drip, drop, droplet, glob, globule;

Related Words

gobbet;

dewdrop, raindrop, tear, teardrop;

spatter;

dribble, trickle;

bead

verb

Definition of bead

transitive verb

1 : to furnish, adorn, or cover with beads or beading

2 : to string together like beads

intransitive verb

: to form into a bead

—

beader

noun

Recent Examples of bead from the Web

Around 1985, things were just overdone—tons of beading on it.

— james r. hagerty, WSJ, "Amsale Aberra Designed Wedding Gowns With an Understated Elegance," 6 Apr. 2018
For her reign, Queen Julia wore a white silk gown, designed by Royal Design House, that was accentuated by a swooping V pattern down center front which was fully beaded with seed and bugle beads, pearls, and Swarovski rhinestone trim.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Krewe of Mystery's Rose Ball visits Casablanca," 25 Feb. 2018
The rip-roaring 15 minutes of Technicolor animal prints, sequins, beading, blinged-out hoop earrings and faux fur maximized everything.

— tony bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, "NYFW: Raf Simons, Tom Ford offer two takes on the ’80s," 9 Feb. 2018
EVODry uses a revolutionary Breathable Water Protection™ finish that allows water to bead off even in the heaviest most prolonged storms with no wetting out.

— sami emory, Outside Online, "Embrace the Rain," 27 Mar. 2018
In one final theatrical flourish, her queenly robes fly off to reveal an ice blue dress, hand-beaded over the course of 41 days by a team of seamstresses.

— eliana dockterman, TIME.com, "Inside Disney’s Ambitious Plan to Bring," 8 Mar. 2018
Specifically, the ones [who are skilled at] embroidery, beading, and pattern-making, or [who] were seamstresses.

— jihane hajby, Allure, "Blue Meets Blue: The Brand Merging Ethical Fashion and Refugee Artisans," 6 Mar. 2018
The mesh illusion bodysuit is embellished with delicate lace and Chantilly, and beaded with over 200 crystals.

— jess edwards, Cosmopolitan, "A naked bridal jumpsuit exists and we're lost for words," 4 Jan. 2018
As afternoon turned to evening, the rain intensified, beading on players’ helmets at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., and glistening on coaches’ windbreakers and fans’ ponchos.

— martin weil, Washington Post, "Rain no match for creature comforts on Sunday," 29 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of bead

1577

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BEAD Defined for English Language Learners

bead

noun

Definition of bead for English Language Learners

: a small, usually round piece of glass, wood, stone, etc., that has a hole through its center and that is put on a string with other similar pieces and worn as jewelry or that is sewn onto clothing
: a small, round drop of liquid (such as water or blood)

BEAD Defined for Kids

bead

noun \ ˈbēd \

Definition of bead for Students

1 : a small piece of solid material with a hole through it by which it can be strung on a thread

2 : a small round drop of liquid

a bead of sweat

History for bead

In medieval English the word bede, from which our word bead descends, meant “a prayer.” Then, as now, people sometimes used strings of little balls to keep track of their prayers. Each little ball stood for a prayer. In time the word that meant “prayer” came to be used for the little balls themselves. Now any small object that can be strung on a string is called a bead.