beard

1 of 2

noun

ˈbird 

1

: the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache

2

: a hairy or bristly appendage or tuft

3

: front sense 7a

beardless

ˈbird-ləs 

adjective

beard

2 of 2

verb

bearded; bearding; beards

transitive verb

1

: to confront and oppose with boldness, resolution, and often effrontery : defy

2

: to furnish with a beard

Synonyms of beard

Verb

• face
• confront
• breast

Examples of beard in a Sentence

Noun

He grew a beard and mustache.

the beard of a goat

Verb

a man of integrity who was never afraid to beard the lion in his den

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The owner, Yuriy Sternat, a stout man with a bushy gray beard, stood behind the bar. —Michael Holtz, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026

The video opens with a man sporting a long beard and waking up in a hospital bed. —Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026

The driver was described by witnesses as an adult male between 30-40 years old with a beard. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026

Witnesses described the suspect as a 30- to 40-year-old man with a beard, Shih said. —Jason Green, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English berd, from Old English beard; akin to Old High German bart beard, Latin barba

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beard

• old-man's beard
• spade beard

Rhymes for beard

• cheered
• cleared
• eared
• feared
• geared
• heerd
• jeered
• leered
• neared
• peered
• reared
• seared

Kids Definition

beard

1 of 2 noun

ˈbi(ə)rd 

1

: the hair that grows on a man's face often not including the mustache

2

: a hairy or bristly growth or bunch (as on the chin of a goat)

bearded

-əd 

adjective

beardless

-ləs 

adjective

beard

2 of 2 verb

: to face or challenge boldly

bearded his enemy

Medical Definition

beard

noun

ˈbi(ə)rd 

: the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache

bearded

-əd 

adjective

Biographical Definition

Beard 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈbird 

Charles Austin 1874–1948 and his wife Mary 1876–1958 née Ritter American historians

Beard

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Daniel Carter 1850–1941 Uncle Dan American painter, illustrator, and organizer of Boy Scouts in U.S.