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

Noah Centineo gives his beast mean mug while at Paramount Pictures' presentation at CinemaCon on April 16. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026

This would be another worthwhile step forward for vital efforts to push the regulatory beast back behind constitutional boundaries. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026

The police chief must team with a marine biologist and a surly shark hunter to stop the beast's reign of terror. —K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026

Avant Arte is releasing a new version of the piece, priced at $2,851 and in an edition of exactly 666 (which, per Revelations, is the number of the beast). —Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 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