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beard

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in some birds.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bird
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɪɹd

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in some birds.

  2. The appendages to the jaw in some cetaceans, and to the mouth or jaws of some fishes.

  3. Facial hair on the chin, cheeks, jaw and neck.

  4. In insects, the hairs of the labial palpi of moths and butterflies.

  5. The gills of some bivalves, such as the oyster.

  6. The byssus of certain shellfish.

verb

  1. transitive

    To boldly and bravely oppose or confront, often to the chagrin of the one being bearded.

  2. transitive

    To take by the beard; to seize, pluck, or pull the beard of (a man), in anger or contempt.

  3. transitive

    To deprive (an oyster or similar shellfish) of the gills.

  4. Go along the rim, like a beard around the chin

    “Houses bearded the top of the heights.”

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in some birds.

Used this way, beard 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.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Long

long beard

Barb

pointed beard

Other combinations

red beardwhite beardfull beardgray beardbrown beardflowing beard

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • beard lichennounCompound term

    Greenish grey pendulous lichen growing on trees.

  • beard mossnounCompound term

    Greenish grey pendulous lichen growing on trees.

  • beard wormnounCompound term

    Slender animal with tentacles and a tubelike outer covering.

  • bearded darnelnounCompound term

    Weedy annual grass often occurs in grainfields and other cultivated land.

  • bearded irisnounCompound term

    Any of numerous wild or cultivated irises with hairlike structures on the falls (the drooping sepals).

  • bearded sealnounCompound term

    Medium-sized greyish to yellow seal with bristles each side of muzzle.

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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.