beaker

noun

bea·ker | \ ˈbē-kər

Definition of beaker

1 : a large drinking cup that has a wide mouth and is sometimes supported on a standard

2 : a deep widemouthed thin-walled vessel usually with a lip for pouring that is used especially in science laboratories

Examples of beaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When Kavya Kopparapu was in fourth grade, a group of female scientists visited her classroom and combined a couple of chemicals that caused foam to shoot out of a beaker. — Samantha Leach, Glamour, "Meet Glamour's 2019 College Women of the Year," 11 June 2019 Amid beakers and hardware, scientists in coats and protective glasses discussed their efforts to find alternatives to antibiotics. — Danny Hakim, New York Times, "Warning of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push to Sell More Antibiotics," 7 June 2019 This chic beaker-like model makes enough coffee concentrate for eight cups of smooth, cold coffee. — Olivia Hall, The Seattle Times, "Ways to eat well in the summer heat (no stove required)," 13 Aug. 2018 Forty years ago, science brought us Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby, as IVF was then called, a term that had a creepy sci-fi vibe, like children were being harvested in glass beakers. — Kim Brooks, Harper's BAZAAR, "The New Frontier of Fertility Tests—for Young Women," 1 Nov. 2018 The wine glasses are not robust beakers, but clear and delicate, on slim stems, and the cups, used for coffee or tea, are the most fashionable porcelain of the day. — Karen Wilkin, WSJ, "A Scene Beyond Time," 24 Aug. 2018 Such was the level of interest in the device that local law enforcement asked the students to make a version that could fit into an evidence beaker. — James Rogers, Fox News, "Kentucky middle schoolers design 3D-printed device to help fight opioid crisis," 15 May 2018 Back in the cold room are three beakers containing seawater mixed with the same oil and dispersant released in the Deepwater Horizon spill. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "This Coral Must Die," 25 June 2018 The test administer, Jason Shoemake, noticed Fulton pouring the contents of a small bottle into the beaker the player was expected to fill with his own sample. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "The Curious Case of Kristian Fulton: A Two-Year Ban, a Last-Ditch Appeal and a Spotlight on the NCAA," 13 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for beaker

Middle English biker, borrowed from Old Norse bikarr, probably borrowed from a continental Germanic form akin to Old Saxon bikeri, borrowed from early Medieval Latin bicarium, variant of bacarium — more at basin

Note: As noted by the Middle English Dictionary, the modern English form probably reflects influence of Middle Dutch beker.

Keep scrolling for more