beak

beak — noun

1. the stiff, narrow front section that forms a bird's jaws and that it uses to pic

1.nounB1
Definition

the stiff, narrow front section that forms a bird's jaws and that it uses to pick up food, build nests, or clean its feathers.

Example

The parrot cracked the sunflower seed open with its strong yellow beak.

typical collocation: strong / yellow beak

Baby chicks tapped at the eggshell with their tiny beaks until it broke.

Common collocations
  • sharp beak
  • curved beak
  • long beak
  • open its beak
  • tap with its beak
Synonyms
  • bill

    everyday alternative, especially for ducks, swans, and other waterbirds with flatter shapes

  • mandible

    technical zoology term for the upper or lower half of a bird's beak

Usage Note

Most often paired with adjectives describing shape, size, or colour (long, curved, sharp, yellow). The plural is regular: beaks.

Common Mistakes

The bird ate with its mouth.
The bird ate with its beak.
for birds, English prefers 'beak' or 'bill' over 'mouth' when talking about the hard outer part.

2. a humorous or rude word for a human nose that looks unusually big or sticks out

2.nounC1
Definition

a humorous or rude word for a human nose that looks unusually big or sticks out sharply from the face.

Example

Greta laughed and said her uncle had a beak you could spot from across the street.

informal register, often in jokes about appearance

The cartoon villain had a huge red beak and a thin black moustache.

Common collocations
  • big beak
  • stick your beak in
  • poke your beak in
Synonyms
  • schnoz

    very informal American slang, also slightly rude

  • hooter

    British informal, similar joking tone

Usage Note

Informal and can sound rude when used about a real person's face. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'stick / poke your beak in', meaning to interfere in someone else's business.

Common Mistakes

She has a beautiful beak.
She has a beautiful nose.
'beak' carries a teasing tone and is not used for compliments.

3. in old-fashioned British slang, a person who has the power to punish you, usuall

3.nounC2
Definition

in old-fashioned British slang, a person who has the power to punish you, usually a judge in court or the head teacher of a school.

Example

The pickpocket was hauled before the beak the next morning.

fixed phrase: be brought / hauled before the beak

If the old beak catches us climbing the school gate, we'll be in trouble.

Common collocations
  • before the beak
  • the old beak
Synonyms
  • magistrate

    neutral term for a junior judge in lower courts

  • headmaster

    the standard word for the male head of a school

Usage Note

Now dated and chiefly British; mostly seen in older novels, period dramas, and historical references. Modern speakers say 'judge', 'magistrate', or 'headmaster' instead.

Common Mistakes

The lawyer presented evidence to the beak in the New York court.
The lawyer presented evidence to the judge in the New York court.
'beak' in this sense is British slang and sounds out of place in American settings.

Word family

  • beaked
    adjectiveC2
  • beaky
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

When talking about the hard outer mouth of a bird, English speakers most often choose between 'beak' and 'bill', while 'mandible' belongs to scientific writing. 'Beak' is the everyday word and tends to suggest something sharp, curved, or strong — think of eagles, parrots, and woodpeckers. 'Bill' sounds slightly more neutral and is the usual choice for flatter, broader shapes such as those of ducks, geese, and pelicans; bird guides often prefer 'bill' as a general label. 'Mandible' is technical and refers to just the upper or lower half of the structure, used by zoologists describing anatomy. So you might say, 'The owl tore the mouse with its sharp beak,' but in a field guide, 'The duck filters water through its flat bill,' and in a research paper, 'The lower mandible is shorter than the upper.'

beak ↗billmandible

Common collocations

Nouns

  • beak shape
  • beak length

Phrases

  • stick your beak in
  • poke your beak in
  • wet your beak

Prepositions

  • in its beak
  • with its beak
  • before the beak

Etymology

GaulishLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Beak' came into English in the 13th century from Old French 'bec', which itself was borrowed from a Gaulish (Celtic) word meaning a bird's mouth. The Romans recorded the Gaulish form as 'beccus', and from Latin it spread into the Romance languages before reaching English. The slang use for 'large nose' grew naturally from the bird image, and the British use for 'judge' or 'headmaster' appeared in 18th-century thieves' cant, possibly because such figures were seen as sharp-eyed predators.