beep

beep — verb

1. to give a quick high electronic sound, or to make a device give one

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to give a quick high electronic sound, or to make a device give one

Example

The truck beeped twice before backing into the narrow alley.

beep twice

Mara beeped her bike horn as two dogs ran across.

beep + horn

Common collocations
  • beep twice
  • beep loudly
  • beep the horn
  • phone beeped
  • microwave beeped
Synonyms
  • sound

    much broader and not limited to this short signal noise

  • buzz

    often suggests a lower or longer electronic sound

  • honk

    used mainly for vehicle horns and usually sounds rougher

Grammar Patterns

beep twice

beep + object

device beeps when ...

Usage Note

Often used for horns, card readers, microwaves, and phones. Distinguish from sense 2: here the focus is on the sound or the device making it, not on contacting a person through a pager.

Common Mistakes

The microwave made beep when the rice was ready.
The microwave beeped when the rice was ready.
use 'beep' directly as the verb for the sound.

2. to reach someone by pager, so they know they should call back or come

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to reach someone by pager, so they know they should call back or come

Example

The nurse beeped Dr. Lin after the baby's fever rose.

beep + person

At 2 a.m., the dispatcher beeped the repair team.

Common collocations
  • beep the doctor
  • beep the repair team
  • beep me
  • beep someone urgently
Synonyms
  • page

    the closest equivalent and the more common verb in formal use

  • contact

    broader and does not say how the message was sent

  • summon

    stresses calling someone to come, often more formally

Grammar Patterns

beep + person

beep me

beep the doctor

Usage Note

Usually takes a person directly as the object. This sense is most natural in hospital, repair, security, and other pager-based systems, and it differs from sense 1 because the result is contact with someone, not just a sound.

Common Mistakes

I beeped to the doctor after the crash.
I beeped the doctor after the crash.
this sense takes the person directly as the object.

beep — noun

Word family

  • beeper
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, a beep is a quick high signal sound, most often from a machine, phone, card reader, or horn. A buzz is usually lower and can last longer, so it fits door systems, phones, and insects better than one short signal. A ring is the usual word for bells and many phones, especially when the sound continues until someone answers. A tone is broader and more technical, and it often means the designed sound of a device. Honk is different again because it is mainly a road-horn sound and is usually rougher and louder. You wait for a beep at the checkout, hear a buzz at the apartment door, and listen for a ring when calling a friend.

beep ↗buzz ↗ring ↗tone ↗honk ↗

Etymology

Imitative soundEnglish

'Beep' began in English as an imitative word for a quick high electronic sound. Because it copied the noise itself, English soon used it both for the sound and for the action of making it. Later, when pagers became common, the verb also developed the meaning of sending someone a pager signal.