beast

noun

ˈbēst 

1

a

: a four-footed mammal as distinguished from other animals

b

: an animal that is not 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 of beast

• brute
• villain
• monster
• savage
• devil
• criminal

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

The beast screamed and flew away, pulling an attached anchor into the water. —Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 June 2026

Think Stephen King meets Parks and Recreation, with a dash of Twin Peaks—except Widow’s Bay is very much its own refreshingly original beast. —Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 June 2026

This escalates into a dragon chase and Aemond’s giant, ancient beast is overcome with bloodlust, killing Luke and his dragon much to the dismay of Aemond One-Eye. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

Oweh has to refine his skill level, improve as a distributor and rely less on beast ball in the paint, where his finishing skill could still use some work. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beste, from Anglo-French, from Latin bestia

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing beast

• beast epic
• beast fable
• beast mode
• beast of burden
• different beast
• go beast mode
• the belly of the beast

Rhymes for beast

• ceased
• creased
• east
• feast
• fleeced
• geest
• greased
• leased
• least
• pieced
• priest
• yeast

Kids Definition

beast

noun

ˈbēst 

1

a

: a four-footed mammal as distinguished from human beings and from lower animals both with and without backbones

b

: a farm animal especially when kept for heavy work

2

: a mean or brutal person