beak

UK /biːk/ US /bik/ Syllables: beak

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

The hard, pointed part of a bird's mouth.

A beak is the hard, pointed part of a bird's mouth. Birds use their beaks to pick up food, build nests, clean their feathers and defend themselves. The shape of a beak depends on what a bird eats: a hawk has a hooked beak for tearing meat, and a hummingbird has a long thin beak for drinking nectar. Some animals, such as turtles and octopuses, also have a beak. The word is informal for a large, pointed nose too. A beak is also called a bill.

"The eagle used its sharp beak to tear the food."

Example sentences

"The bird held a worm in its beak."

Level A1
"The eagle has a sharp, curved beak."

Level A2
"A hummingbird has a long, thin beak."

Level A2
"The duck opened its beak and quacked."

Level A1

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

bill

Look-alikes and common mistakes

bill : Bill is another word for a bird's beak, especially a flat one, as on a duck.
snout : A snout is the nose and mouth of an animal like a pig. A beak is a bird's hard mouth.

Word family and forms

Forms: beaks

bill beaked hook-beaked

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "beak".

a sharp beak
a hooked beak
a long beak
the bird's beak
open its beak
a yellow beak

Origin

Beak came into English in the 1200s from Old French bec, which took it from Latin beccus. The Latin word was borrowed from Gaulish, a Celtic language of ancient France, where it meant a beak or a snout.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Beak rhymes with peak and speak. A bird speaks in a way with its beak.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The bird held a worm in its _____."

Answer: beak

In your own words, what does "beak" mean?