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 The eagles fuss obsessively with their habitat, waddling around on their huge, scaly reptilian feet, moving sticks to and fro with their bony beaks. Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 One suggestion is to get a plastic keyboard cover to keep their beaks away from the keys themselves (although, as many in the thread also point out, parrots are smart enough to just take that cover off to get to the sweet, sweet keys underneath). John Higgins, The Verge, 18 Aug. 2026 Scientists have also found giant squid beaks (its biting apparatus) in sperm whale stomachs. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beaks
Noun
  • Finding bodies with their heads removed, bricks in their mouths, or – as in this case – a sickle pointing at their throat, automatically earns suspicion as a vampire.
    Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
  • During the protest, participants wore wedding dresses, duct-taped their mouths and chained their wrists on the Capitol steps to call on lawmakers to pass the measure.
    Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Machines meant to begin giving the shells perfectly smooth noses would, instead, mangle them into swirls that looked like soft-serve ice cream.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Defiant, Mladic acted bullishly during his trial and yelled at the judges when sentenced to life in prison.
    Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The couple were known in South Florida for their dinner parties at their homes in Miami Beach and Coconut Grove that gathered musicians, fellow attorneys and judges, senators, bankers, philanthropists and journalists.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The species is distinguished by relatively large ears and broad snouts covered with fine hairs.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Halligan said breeds with short snouts like Bulldogs, Bullmastiffs and Pekingese pups are at greater risk, so are overweight animals and dogs with dark fur.
    Kara Finnstrom, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • In lower courts, the administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings.
    Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In hip-hop and other genres, producers were using snippets of other people’s records; courts often ruled that this was a form of theft, although hip-hop fans tended to see it as righteous theft.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Rice had a side hustle as a vintage dealer and brought in plenty of pieces from the same era, including 1950s sofas by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, a pair of 1970s blue suede armchairs, and benches from France with colorful bases.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
  • For more of the best end-of-season patio furniture deals at Pottery Barn, check out our favorite chairs, benches, sectionals, tables, and more below.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Beaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beaks. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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