beak

noun

ˈbēk 

1

a

: the bill of a bird

especially : a strong short broad bill

b(1)

: the elongated sucking mouth of some insects (such as the true bugs)

(2)

: any of various rigid projecting mouth structures (as of a turtle)

c

: the human nose

2

: a pointed structure or formation:

a

: a metal-pointed beam projecting from the bow especially of an ancient galley for piercing an enemy ship

b

: the spout of a vessel

c

: a continuous slight architectural projection ending in an arris see molding illustration

d

: a process suggesting the beak of a bird

3

chiefly British

a

: magistrate

b

: headmaster

beaked

ˈbēkt 

adjective

beaky

ˈbē-kē 

adjective

Synonyms of beak

• mouth
• mandible
• muzzle

Examples of beak in a Sentence

the beak of a hawk

an actor with a big beak

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers estimated their overall size by extrapolating from the size of the beak specimens. —Jack Guy, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026

No one knows how Bruce lost the entire upper half of his beak. —Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026

Bruce, lacking his primary weapon — the powerful hooked upper beak kea typically use for biting — should have been at a profound disadvantage. —Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026

Bruce struggles with basic parrot tasks because of his missing top beak, and this has led him to develop other wily work-arounds. —Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bek, beek, beke, borrowed from Anglo-French bec (also continental Old French), going back to Latin *beccus, perhaps of Gaulish origin

Note: The historic vowel length that resulted in Modern English beak is perhaps the outcome of Middle English open syllable lengthening in the plural bekes. The form beck without lengthening is sporadically evident until at least the eighteenth century. The noun *beccus is attested only in the derivative proper noun Beccō, the cognomen of a man named Antonius Primus, who killed the emperor Vitellius according to suetonius, in his biographical collection The Twelve Caesars. Suetonius states that Antonius, who was born in Tolosa (Toulose), was in his youth given the name and that "it means the beak of a rooster" ("id valet gallinacei rostrum"). The suffix -ōn-, -ō forms nicknames of persons with a prominent characteristic. The name is presumed to be based on a Gaulish word, though there is no certain Celtic etymon corresponding to beccus.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for beak

• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek
• leak

Kids Definition

beak

noun

ˈbēk 

1

a

: the bill of a bird

especially : the bill of a bird of prey adapted for striking and tearing

b

: any of various rigid mouth structures (as of a turtle) that stick out

also : the long sucking mouth of some insects

c

: the human nose

2

: a part shaped like a beak

beaked

ˈbēkt 

adjective