beau

noun

ˈbō 

plural beaux ˈbōz  or beaus

1

: dandy sense 1

2

: boyfriend sense 1

Synonyms of beau

• boyfriend

Examples of beau in a Sentence

Her beaux between marriage generally fell into two categories: ineffectual pretty boys or handsome brutes. —Joanne Kaufman, People, 21 Mar. 1988

This was essentially the vehicle that had been perfected, through more than a century or two, for—and by—a continuing line of fops, beaux, macaronis, dudes, bucks, blades, swells, bloods and mashers. —Osbert Sitwell, The Scarlet Tree, 1975

She introduced us to her latest beau.

her new beau brought flowers when he picked her up for their first date

Recent Examples on the Web

During pre-show cocktails in the Grand Tier Bar, Sigourney Weaver chatted with Frances McDormand as Katie Holmes arrived with her artist beau, Jason Bard Yarmosky. — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026

Ask your beau to fasten it behind your neck; rubies, after all, are oh-so-romantic. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026

Season 5 ended on a cliffhanger for Emily and Gabriel — adrift on a yacht off the shores of Greece — while Mindy finds herself in a love triangle with Nico (Park's real-life former beau Paul Forman) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount). — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026

Ferguson even appears to have his fiancée’s initials tattooed on his right ring finger, with Cavinder showing off her beau’s ink on TikTok in August 2024. — Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from beau, bel (masculine), belle (feminine) "beautiful, good-looking," going back to Old French bel, going back to Latin bellus, probably going back (via *duellos, assimilated from *duenlos) to *dwenelos, diminutive of *dwe-nos "good" (whence Old Latin duenos, Latin bonus) — more at bounty

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beau

• beau geste
• beau ideal
• beau monde

Rhymes for beau

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

beau

noun

ˈbō 

plural beaux ˈbōz  or beaus

ˈbōz

: boyfriend sense 2

Etymology

from French beau "boyfriend," from beau (adjective) "fine, beautiful," derived from Latin bellus "pretty" — related to beauty, belle