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

Made of resin and brass and balanced on curlicue legs, the beast is part of a 65-piece home collection. — Sarah Medford, WSJ, "Maison & Objet 2019: Best in Show From the Paris Design Fair," 25 Jan. 2019 This cleaning beast was able to suck up dirt on plush carpets and bare floors alike. — Sarah Bogdan, Good Housekeeping, "These Top 5 Canister Vacuums Are Pros at Cleaning Tough-to-Reach Places," 14 Dec. 2018 The biggest beast is the wage tax, at 3.8809 percent for Philadelphians and 3.4567 percent for nonresidents who have the pleasure of working within the city limits. — Stu Bykofsky, Philly.com, "Welcome to Taxadelphia, where you pay more than you realize | Stu Bykofsky," 10 July 2018 The idea of The Rock as a #sneakerinfluencer / hype beast is very much equal parts the 2018 formula: one part celebrity, one part absurd, one part of unthinkable ten years ago, combine, stir, pour over ice. — Liz Raiss, GQ, "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Can Sell The People Anything—Even Sneakers," 30 June 2018 So out went the yuletide beast to become an ever-so-brief Twitter celebrity and eventual souvenir for the ultra-completist Florida State fan who came along and swiped it before the garbage collector arrived. — Andy Staples, SI.com, "The Message Behind the Money: How Texas A&M Landed Jimbo Fisher," 28 June 2018 The beasts tend to make clicking and buzzing sounds while in the deep sea, about 700 to 2,000 feet down, and buzzed quite a bit in one particular fjord, likely using echolocation while hunting shrimp and cod. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Researchers Record the Sounds of the Elusive Narwhal," 15 June 2018 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

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.