beard

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of beardnext
1
: the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache
2
: a hairy or bristly appendage or tuft
3
beardless 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

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
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Noun
Joseph Quinn’s George Harrison is a late-period take, with the Stranger Things actor sporting long hair and a bushy beard, while Harris Dickinson’s mid-period John Lennon sports his iconic round glasses, shaggy, shoulder-length hair and a jeans jacket. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026 For more than a month, grizzled, proud men — some in their 40s and many with gray dotted on their heads and splashed across beards — have marched out onto a practice field to prepare for a game with deep meaning. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Outside, a man wearing a leather biker vest bearing the insignia of the Latin American Motorcycle Association, his blond beard flecked with ice crystals, directed a line of cars through the snow. Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026 Today his beard was neatly trimmed. Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beard

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of beard was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beard. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

beard

1 of 2 noun
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 adjective
beardless adjective

beard

2 of 2 verb
: to face or challenge boldly
bearded his enemy

Medical Definition

beard

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

Biographical Definition

Beard 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

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.

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