beast

noun

\ ˈbēst

Definition of beast

1a : a four-footed mammal as distinguished from a human being, a lower vertebrate, and an invertebrate

b : a lower animal as distinguished from a human being

c : an animal as distinguished from a plant

d : an animal under human control

2 : a contemptible person

3 : something formidably difficult to control or deal with

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about beast

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Examples of beast in a Sentence

dogs and other four-footed beasts the birds and beasts of the forest They were attacked by a savage beast. He's a cruel, hateful beast!

Recent Examples on the Web

For those who are less-than-familiar with children's literature these days, The Gruffalo, is a wildly popular book series (and now film) about a mouse who encounters several creatures while walking through the woods, including the titular beast. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Prince William Just Revealed Prince George and Princess Charlotte's Favorite Book—and Its a Modern British Classic," 11 Sep. 2018 Be sure to read our Threadripper 1950X review first to see how well this beast runs. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "AMD's first-gen Ryzen Threadripper CPUs get deep price cuts," 27 Aug. 2018 The reality for Garrett and so many other children is pediatric cancer is an ugly, nasty beast that leaves a path of destruction. — Makayla Tendall, ajc, "'See ya later, suckas!': Family writes unique obituary for 5-year-old cancer victim," 13 July 2018 Vibrational, or modal, testing is just one of five tortures that this beast will have to endure. — Sarah Scoles, WIRED, "Inside the Test Chamber for NASA's Astronaut Vehicle Double," 12 July 2018 At least in the previous film, there was a set of clearly achievable objectives involving the rounding-up of a bunch of fantastic beasts! — Aja Romano, Vox, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald feels like a giant prologue for some other movie," 17 Nov. 2018 Thus far, the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailers have implied their fair share of beasts and crimes, but the newest and final teaser for the next installment of the Wizarding World saga is without a doubt the most fantastic. — Chelsea Stone, Teen Vogue, "The Final "Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald" Trailer Reveals Major "Harry Potter" Connections," 25 Sep. 2018 One of those beasts could crush me flat and not even notice. — Andrew Evans, chicagotribune.com, "Feel the pull of the prairie on a uniquely American safari in Montana," 5 July 2018 Many of those beasts which had remained outside during the high fallout period were showing clear signs of illness. — Nan Randall, The Atlantic, "'Charlottesville': A Government-Commissioned Story About Nuclear War," 25 Jan. 2018

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