beck

1 of 3

verb

becked; becking; becks

beck

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
chiefly Scotland : bow, curtsy
2
a
: a beckoning gesture

beck

3 of 3

noun (2)

British
Phrases
at one's beck and call
: ready to obey one's command immediately

Examples of beck in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Punishment for not showing up for a call-back or a missing bottle may include having take-home doses reduced or rescinded entirely, leaving patients constantly at their clinics’ beck and call. Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Mar. 2024 Others echoed that being a salaried employee doesn’t equate to being at the beck and call of your boss. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 The gentle pressure relieves tension in the beck while relaxing uptight muscles. Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 14 Apr. 2022 Fleet managers, as they are called, are technically their own bosses, but John spends his days at the beck and call of the company’s app. Amy Martyn, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2023 One reason involved marketing: Ms. Swift, with 369 million social media followers at her beck and call, barely needs to spend anything to advertise the film. Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Of course, Fox, a mom of three herself, has professional hair stylists at her beck and call, while the mortal moms among us are stuck attempting to copy the look. Melissa Willets, Parents, 15 Sep. 2023 My partner and Jameson’s husband were at our beck and call. Danielle Snyder, Outside Online, 1 Oct. 2019 But after the half-year project was completed in 2016, salmon were observed in the beck within three months. Angela Wang, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bekken, shortened from bekenen "to give a mute signal," with the n perhaps being taken as the infinitive ending — more at beckon

Noun (1)

Middle English becke, bekke "mute signal, signal of command, bow," noun derivative of bekken "to give a mute signal" — more at beck entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English bek, from Old Norse bekkr; akin to Old English bæc brook, Old High German bah, Lithuanian bėgti to flee — more at phobia

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beck was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near beck

Cite this Entry

“Beck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beck. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beck

noun
ˈbek
: a beckoning gesture

More from Merriam-Webster on beck

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