bean

play

noun \ ˈbēn \

Definition of bean

1 a :fava bean

b :the seed of any of various erect or climbing plants (as of the genera Phaseolus and Vigna) of the legume family other than the fava bean

c :a plant bearing beans

d :an immature bean pod used as a vegetable

2 a :a valueless item

b beans plural :the least amount

didn't know beans about it

3 :any of various seeds or fruits that resemble beans or bean pods

coffee beans

; also :a plant producing these

4 a beans plural :exuberance —used in the phrase full of beans

b beans plural :nonsense, bunkum —used in the phrase full of beans

5 :head, brain

6 :a protuberance on the upper mandible of waterfowl — see duck illustration

See bean defined for English-language learners

See bean defined for kids

Examples of bean in a Sentence

We ate rice and beans for dinner.
We're growing tomatoes and beans in our garden this year.

Recent Examples of bean from the Web

Two flour tortillas accompanied this dish, along with plenty of toppings (think beans, guac, and cheese) and the shrimp were well cooked and seasoned with a pleasing mango-chipotle glaze.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "El Mundo's 'controlled chaos' is worth the delicious wait | Review," 30 Aug. 2017
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), acres planted in chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are at 603,000 this year, up nearly 86 percent from last year.

— david pitt, The Seattle Times, "Farmers planting less wheat — more chickpeas and lentils," 28 Aug. 2017
The cafe partners with The Kaffeeklatsch Inc. to provide a signature blend of coffee and espresso beans.

— special to al.com, AL.com, "Huntsville's coffee scene is heating up," 27 Aug. 2017
The country’s beans were roasted in coffee houses in Brussels and Rome, and its coffee was among the world’s finest.

— clair macdougall, New York Times, "Congo’s Specialty Brews Look to Be the ‘Future of Coffee’," 23 Aug. 2017
Combine lavender, half vanilla bean, Everclear® and water in a quart-sized container.

— kara studzinski, Esquire, "How to Turn College Spirits Into Grown-Up Cocktails," 22 Aug. 2017
Please stop eating all the fried onions off of the green bean casserole, and picking all of the shrimp out of the pasta.

— vikki fraser, Town & Country, "The Worst Dining Habits of All Time, Ranked," 15 Aug. 2017
Of course, that went out the window when Kaling's A Wrinkle in Time co-star, Oprah Winfrey, spilled the beans on her pregnancy.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Mindy Kaling Confirms She's Pregnant, Talks Motherhood on 'Today'," 15 Aug. 2017
The Trump administration is so unusually corrupt and questionable that Pence's victories look like small beans in comparison to Muslim bans and Russia election collusion.

— jill filipovic, Cosmopolitan, "Mike Pence Is Using Donald Trump," 8 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of bean

Middle English bene, from Old English bēan; akin to Old High German bōna bean

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

bean Synonyms

Synonyms

head, block [slang], dome, mazard (or mazzard) [chiefly dialect], nob, noddle, noggin, noodle, nut [slang], pate, poll

Antonyms

lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, torpidity

Related Words

cranium, crown, scalp, skull; occiput

Near Antonyms

indolence, laziness; debilitation, debility, delicacy, disablement, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, impotence, impotency, infirmity, powerlessness, puniness, slightness, softness, tenderness, weakness; enervation, exhaustion, inanition, prostration

bean

verb

Definition of bean

transitive verb

:to strike (a person) on the head with an object

See bean defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of bean from the Web

Several big league players had their careers shortened after being beaned — Mickey Cochrane, Ducky Medwick, Tony Conigliaro and Dickie Thon, for instance — but only Ray Chapman died.

— arthur hart, idahostatesman, "Boise baseball great had a killer pitch – literally," 26 Aug. 2017
TONY C. The Red Sox unveiled a display in Fenway Park to honor former outfielder Tony Conigliaro, who was nearly killed when blinded when he was beaned by Jack Hamilton of the California Angels on Aug. 18, 1967.

— USA TODAY, "Moreland delivers to help Red Sox beat Yankees 9-6," 18 Aug. 2017
This is reasonable given the distances, and has the benefit of being harder to bean-count.

— carolyn hax, The Seattle Times, "Learning to find an attention balance between children," 31 July 2017
This is reasonable given the distances, and has the benefit of being harder to bean-count.

— carolyn hax, Detroit Free Press, "Planning visits and achieving quality time with both daughters," 31 July 2017
This is reasonable given the distances, and has the benefit of being harder to bean-count.

— carolyn hax, Philly.com, "Dividing time between differing daughters," 31 July 2017
While his frightening late-2014 beaning in Milwaukee was a freak occurrence, he's experienced a litany of lower-body injuries that could hint at further problems down the road.

— jay jaffe, SI.com, "Gone-carlo Stanton? Seven Teams That Might Be Interested in Trading for Marlins' Slugger," 24 July 2017
SANTA CLARA — Olympic sensation Katie Ledecky wasn’t happy when seeing Washington Nationals Bryce Harper get beaned by Giants reliever Hunter Strickland.

— elliott almond, The Mercury News, "Katie Ledecky explains her tweet to Nats Bryce Harper," 2 June 2017
Freshman Haley Cruse entered as a pinch runner as UO, then moved to second when Prince beaned Udria near her right knee, and up came Shannon Rhodes.

— andrew greif, OregonLive.com, "Oregon Ducks open NCAA super regional with 14th straight win behind Megan Kleist and manufactured runs," 26 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of bean

verbal derivative of ¹bean in sense "head"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1909

See Words from the same year

BEAN Defined for English Language Learners

bean

verb

Definition of bean for English Language Learners

: to hit (someone) on the head with something

BEAN Defined for Kids

bean

play

noun \ ˈbēn \

Definition of bean for Students

1 :the edible seed or pod of a bushy or climbing garden plant related to the peas and clovers

2 :a seed or fruit like a bean

coffee beans

Learn More about bean

See words that rhyme with bean Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bean Spanish Central: Translation of bean Nglish: Translation of bean for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bean for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bean

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up bean? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

bean

Definition of bean

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of bean in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bean from the Web

Origin and Etymology of bean

bean Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

bean

Definition of bean

Recent Examples of bean from the Web

Origin and Etymology of bean

Phrases Related to BEAN

Related Phrases

BEAN Defined for English Language Learners

bean

Definition of bean for English Language Learners

BEAN Defined for Kids

bean

Definition of bean for Students

Learn More about bean

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066