beware

verb

be·​ware bi-ˈwer 

bē-

intransitive verb

: to be on one's guard

beware of the dog

transitive verb

1

: to take care of

beware your wallet

2

: to be wary of

we must … beware the exceedingly tenuous generalization

—Matthew Lipman

Synonyms

• guard (against)
• watch out (for)
• notice
• look out (for)

Examples of beware in a Sentence

A ghostly voice cried “Beware!”.

He told them to beware.

The restaurant's food is excellent, but beware the chili if you don't like spicy food.

Recent Examples on the Web

But overall, all smartphone users should beware of this possibility. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2025

Bring your own mask, snorkel, and fins and remember to beware of boat traffic. —Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2025

Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa have advanced their cybersecurity architecture through investments in cybersecurity awareness, but even these countries must beware as the use of deepfake video technology is testing the durability of their systems, Interpol said. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 23 June 2025

But beware: Great communities foster debate, dissent and intellectual diversity. —Nate Williams, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English been war, from been "to be" + war "cognizant, ware entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for beware

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare
• cookware

Kids Definition

beware

verb

be·​ware bi-ˈwa(ə)r 

-ˈwe(ə)r

1

: to be on one's guard

beware of the dog

2

: to be suspicious of

beware the quick excuse