beaks

plural of beak
1
as in mandibles
the jaws of a bird together with their hornlike covering the bird cracked the walnut shell with its beak and ate its nut

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2
as in noses
the part of the face bearing the nostrils and nasal cavity the man's prominent beak gives him a somewhat aquiline appearance

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3
as in judges
chiefly British a public official having authority to decide questions of law received a stiff sentence from one of the harshest beaks in all of London

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beaks For instance, Puerto Rican anole lizards have developed longer limbs and larger toe pads for city life, and house finches show adapted beaks. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 The birds use their beaks to scoop up whatever comes their way. John Lauritsen, CBS News, 25 June 2026 The birds unhinged their beaks as if to make a loud sound. Literary Hub, 14 May 2026 These long, narrow flowers match the shape of the birds’ slender beaks and extendable tongues. Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2026 Those beaks tell a clear story about how these animals fed. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026 The Giant Octopus Fossil That Unlocked Everything The discovery is based on giant octopus fossil evidence — specifically, fossilized beaks (jaws), which are the only hard parts of an octopus’s body and the only parts likely to survive over millions of years. Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026 Rocks that could potentially be hiding the beaks were first embedded in resin to hold them together and then ground layer by layer with every individual slice photographed along the way. Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beaks
Noun
  • Under a microscope, their hairlike cilia sweep the area outside the cell like wispy brooms, pulling bacteria into their mouths and pushing them around.
    Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 27 July 2026
  • This is not against any rules, but leaves a sour taste in fans’ mouths.
    James Hansen, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • Their noses and the inside of their ears and their long tongue muscles were delightfully pink, the color of a crayon.
    Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Everyone was blown away that this happened under their noses.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Noun
  • Chancery courts in Mississippi handle legal issues including equity disputes, family law, estate matters and land record cases, and chancery judges — also called chancellors — typically hear trials without a jury present.
    Margaret Baker, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
  • Nationally, 70% of federal judges are white and 60% are men, and former prosecutors outnumber public defenders 4 to 1, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
    Julia Coin July 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
Noun
  • Their long, droopy tails would likely pull them downward and send their snouts bobbing up.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 15 July 2026
  • With their snouts, the pigs would feel each beat of my heart the way a human would feel a silver dollar that had been flipped in the air then caught in an open palm, flipped and caught, coming up heads or tails, whichever side had been called when the coin was at its apogee.
    Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
Noun
  • What hangs in the balance is an American industry’s shape and a precedent that will be established not just by courts alone but by the influence of presidential power.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Citizen suits often ask the courts to order a stop to the polluting activity, payments for reducing or cleaning up the harm done, and civil penalties paid to the government.
    Sarah J. Morath, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Plenty of outdoor patio spaces with classic garden benches and umbrellaed tables beg for relaxed summer gatherings.
    Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Worked, begged, slept in attics and basements and under benches in parks.
    Gabriel Winslow-Yost, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Beaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beaks. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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