plural betas
1
: the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet see Alphabet Table
2
: something or someone designated with the name beta or the Greek letter β especially denoting the second in position, order, or class
3
: a nearly complete prototype of a product (such as software)
the beta version
also
: a stage of development in which a product is nearly complete but not yet ready for release
The app is still in beta.
4
: beta particle
beta emissions
5
: a measure of the risk potential of a stock or an investment portfolio expressed as a ratio of the stock's or portfolio's volatility to the volatility of the market as a whole
Beta measures a stock's price volatility—or risk—compared with the market in general …—
Marlys J. Harris
Marlys J. Harris6
: beta wave
The findings could also help scientists better understand other beta-associated disorders, such as Parkinson's disease or obsessive compulsive disorder …—Brown University News Release (Providence, Rhode Island)
Brown University News Release (Providence, Rhode Island)
: second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
beta substitution
—often used in combination —symbol β
Examples of beta in a Sentence
Noun
a program that is currently in beta
Recent Examples on the WebHeather Kelly, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2023
The public beta came out in July of this year, but the official download date should arrive later this year.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
Tesla has dropped the price of its full self-driving beta software.
—Emily Price, PCMAG, 3 Sep. 2023
Desperate Hue users even went as far as signing up for a developer account and downloading a beta update for Matter support, which for some led to its own set of headaches.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 31 Aug. 2023
Meta has walked out legs to player avatars in Quest Home — but not Horizon Worlds — in a new beta announced last week in the Meta Community forums (via UploadVR).
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 30 Aug. 2023
The app, which launched in closed beta earlier this month, recorded $1.68 million in fees last week (a gauge for the number of people using it), propelling it briefly into the top three decentralized applications by fees, just below the Ethereum network.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 28 Aug. 2023
Quickly Raine falls under her spell, a beta to her new alpha friend.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2023
The release plan is a closed beta in August, followed by an NFT pre-sale in Q3 2023 with a global game launch in Q4.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 17 Aug. 2023
Umar Shakir, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
Musk has said that FSD is being tested as beta software to emphasize the need for drivers to pay attention to the road while using the driver-assist feature.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
The new screen is already available for download via a beta version for developers.
—Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2023
The Education Department recently launched a beta version of the application process, allowing borrowers to request the plan.
—Collin Binkley, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2023
Supposedly, progress carries over through beta windows but not to the full game, sadly.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
Men’s Health Nutrition Advisor Dezi Abeyta, RDN, says that some key ingredients in many pre-workout supps are beta alanine, which can help to promote muscle endurance, L-arginine or L-citrulline, which can help to optimize blood flow, and of course, caffeine for extra energy.
—Brett Williams, Men's Health, 14 Aug. 2023
The latest version of Samsung's custom Android layer, One UI 6, will soon be available in beta form for owners of the Galaxy S23 series.
—Iyaz Akhtar, PCMAG, 10 Aug. 2023
Now, Project Alianza is launching the beta phase when the app is refined based on the alpha tests.
—Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2023
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Noun
Apple already released a public beta of iOS 17, so many of the big issues are probably hammered out.
—Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2023
The public beta came out in July of this year, but the official download date should arrive later this year.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
Tesla has dropped the price of its full self-driving beta software.
—Emily Price, PCMAG, 3 Sep. 2023
Desperate Hue users even went as far as signing up for a developer account and downloading a beta update for Matter support, which for some led to its own set of headaches.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 31 Aug. 2023
Meta has walked out legs to player avatars in Quest Home — but not Horizon Worlds — in a new beta announced last week in the Meta Community forums (via UploadVR).
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 30 Aug. 2023
The app, which launched in closed beta earlier this month, recorded $1.68 million in fees last week (a gauge for the number of people using it), propelling it briefly into the top three decentralized applications by fees, just below the Ethereum network.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 28 Aug. 2023
Quickly Raine falls under her spell, a beta to her new alpha friend.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2023
The release plan is a closed beta in August, followed by an NFT pre-sale in Q3 2023 with a global game launch in Q4.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 17 Aug. 2023
Adjective
Nothing also has a beta OS release that runs atop Android 14, which works on Phone 1.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
Musk has said that FSD is being tested as beta software to emphasize the need for drivers to pay attention to the road while using the driver-assist feature.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
The new screen is already available for download via a beta version for developers.
—Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2023
The Education Department recently launched a beta version of the application process, allowing borrowers to request the plan.
—Collin Binkley, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2023
Supposedly, progress carries over through beta windows but not to the full game, sadly.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
Men’s Health Nutrition Advisor Dezi Abeyta, RDN, says that some key ingredients in many pre-workout supps are beta alanine, which can help to promote muscle endurance, L-arginine or L-citrulline, which can help to optimize blood flow, and of course, caffeine for extra energy.
—Brett Williams, Men's Health, 14 Aug. 2023
The latest version of Samsung's custom Android layer, One UI 6, will soon be available in beta form for owners of the Galaxy S23 series.
—Iyaz Akhtar, PCMAG, 10 Aug. 2023
Now, Project Alianza is launching the beta phase when the app is refined based on the alpha tests.
—Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beta.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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Cite this Entry
“Beta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beta. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
beta
noun
be·ta
ˈbāt-ə
: the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet
—Β or β
Medical Definition
beta
1 of 2 noun
be·ta
ˈbāt-ə, chiefly British ˈbē-tə
beta
2 of 2 adjective
variants
or β-
1
: of or relating to one of two or more closely related chemical substances
the beta chain of hemoglobin
β-yohimbine
—used somewhat arbitrarily to specify ordinal relationship or a particular physical form and especially one that is allotropic, isomeric, stereoisomeric, or sometimes polymeric (as in β-D-glucose)
2
: second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
also
: occurring at or having a structure characterized by such a position
beta substitution
3
: producing a zone of decolorization when grown on blood media
—used of some hemolytic streptococci or of the hemolysis they cause
More from Merriam-Webster on beta
Nglish: Translation of beta for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of beta for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beta
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