bean

noun \ ˈbēn \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

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

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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

But when that day comes, will the beans be worth so much?

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Threat of soybean tariffs raise fears among Maryland farmers, and questions about 'America first'," 4 May 2018
The beans are plump and rich, blended with the right proportion of gooey cheese.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "Arizona's best Mexican restaurants: Tacos and more from Flagstaff to Tucson to Yuma," 1 May 2018
Corn, beans and chilies are key ingredients in the cuisine that merges Spanish and Mayan roots.

— cleveland.com, "Fantastic El Rinconcito Chapin brings Guatemalan flavor to Old Brooklyn (review)," 27 Apr. 2018
In drinks like the Cold Foam Cascara Cold Brew, the substance is then sweetened with Cascara syrup, derived from dried fruit of the coffee plant (the coffee bean is the seed).

— anne vandermey, Fortune, "Starbucks Wants Its New “Cold Foam” to Be the Next Pumpkin Spice Latte," 17 Apr. 2018
At issue is a chemical called acrylamide, which is created when coffee beans are roasted.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Attack of the Killer Cappuccino," 30 Mar. 2018
The group charged that Starbucks and other companies — a group that eventually included 91 defendants — did not warn consumers that ingesting coffee would expose them to acrylamide, a chemical formed when coffee beans are roasted.

— tiffany hsu, New York Times, "Coffee Drinkers Need Cancer Warning, Judge Rules, Giving Sellers the Jitters," 30 Mar. 2018
One of them is acrylamide, which is created when coffee beans are roasted.

— jen christensen, CNN, "Coffee may come with a cancer warning label in California," 30 Mar. 2018
Acrylamide is not added to our products, but results from cooking, such as when coffee beans are roasted or baked goods are baked.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "Coffee in California May Soon Come with a Cancer Warning," 31 Jan. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

bean Synonyms

bean

verb

Definition of bean

transitive verb

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

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Recent Examples of bean from the Web

The third baseman was beaned by Colorado German Marquez on Sunday and has missed the last four games . . .

— BostonGlobe.com, "Mass. basketball director Thomas Gassnola pleads guilty," 28 Apr. 2018
After Bryant was beaned, the Cubs collected four consecutive singles.

— mark gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs' Kris Bryant leaves in 1st after getting hit in the helmet by pitch," 22 Apr. 2018
Police were called to a Taco Bell in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Monday after an employee beaned his boss with a flying burrito.

— melissa locker, Time, "Taco Bell Employee Throws Cheesy Burrito at Boss to Make a Point," 24 Jan. 2018
The cargo area is open to the cabin, so a luggage net may be in order to protect occupants from getting beaned by stray onions after a grocery trip.

— Car and Driver, "2017 Chevrolet Corvette," 27 Sep. 2017
The only punishment in the past for one team suspecting another of stealing signs has been an opposing hitter getting beaned with a pitch.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "What Does it Mean to Steal Signs in Baseball?," 6 Sep. 2017
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