2
N‑COUNT
A
bead
of
liquid or moisture is a small drop of it. □ [+
bead|ed /biː d I d/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A beaded dress, cushion, or other object is decorated with beads.
2
ADJ
[v-link ADJ
bead|ing /biː d I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Beading is a narrow strip of wood that is used for decorating or edging furniture and doors.
2
N‑UNCOUNT
Beading
is an arrangement of beads used for decorating clothes. □
beady /biː di/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Beady eyes are small, round, and bright.
2
ADJ
[ADJ
n] If someone keeps a
beady
eye on a person or organization, they watch them carefully and suspiciously. □
bea|gle /biː g ə l/ (beagles ) N‑COUNT A beagle is a short-haired black and brown dog with long ears and short legs. It is kept as a pet or sometimes used for hunting.
beak
/biː
k/ (beaks
) N‑COUNT
A bird's
beak
is the hard curved or pointed part of its mouth. □
beak|er /biː kə r / (beakers )
1 N‑COUNT A beaker is a plastic cup used for drinking, usually one with no handle. [BRIT ]
2 N‑COUNT A beaker is a large cup or glass. [AM ]
3 N‑COUNT A beaker is a glass or plastic jar which is used in chemistry.
be
-all and e
nd-all
PHRASE
If something is
the be-all and end-all
to you, it is the only important thing in your life, or the only important feature of a particular activity. □
beam /biː m/ (beams , beaming , beamed )
1
VERB
If you say that someone
is beaming
, you mean that they have a big smile on their face because they are happy, pleased, or proud about something. [WRITTEN
] □ [V
+
2
N‑COUNT
[usu n N
] A
beam
is a line of energy, radiation, or particles sent in a particular direction. □
3
VERB
If something
beams
radio signals or television pictures or they
are beamed
somewhere, they are sent there by means of electronic equipment. □ [
4 N‑COUNT [n N ] A beam of light is a line of light that shines from an object such as a lamp.
5
VERB
If something such as the sun or a lamp
beams
down, it sends light to a place and shines on it. □ [V
adv/prep]
6
N‑COUNT
A
beam
is a long thick bar of wood, metal, or concrete, especially one used to support the roof of a building. □
7 → see also off-beam
bean ◆◇◇ /biː n/ (beans )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl, usu adj N ] Beans such as green beans , French beans , or broad beans are the seeds of a climbing plant or the long thin cases which contain those seeds.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl, usu n N ] Beans such as soya beans and kidney beans are the dried seeds of a bean plant.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl, usu n N ] Beans such as coffee beans or cocoa beans are the seeds of plants that are used to produce coffee, cocoa, and chocolate.
4
PHRASE
If someone is
full of beans
, they are very lively and have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. □