bead
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A small ball with a hole through the middle.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
beedIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbid
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A small ball with a hole through the middle
A small, round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire, particularly for decorative purposes.
Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster.
A small drop of water or other liquid.
Various small, round solid objects.
A rigid edge of a tire that mounts it on a wheel; tire bead.
verb
String together like beads
Decorate by sewing beads onto
transitive
To apply beads to.
transitive
To cause beads to form on (something).
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A small ball with a hole through the middle
Used this way, bead is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use bead
- “She carefully strung each colorful bead onto the delicate wire.”
Share your sentence
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: string together like beads
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “bead” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.