What does "beagle" mean?
A small short-legged smooth-coated scenthound, often tricolored and sometimes used for hunting hares. Its friendly disposition makes it suitable as a family pet.
Beagle
/ˈbiːɡəl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small short-legged smooth-coated scenthound, often tricolored and sometimes used for hunting hares. Its friendly disposition makes it suitable as a family pet.
- Grammar: beagle is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bailiff, beadle, bound bailiff, captain.
- Useful contrasts: cat.
- Usage evidence: The Beagle, which had been commissioned by the British Admiralty to explore and chart the coast of South America, employed Darwin as its onboard naturalist.
How to use "beagle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "beagle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "beagle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "beagle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "beagle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "beagle" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bailiff" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "beagle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small short-legged smooth-coated scenthound, often tricolored and sometimes used for hunting hares. Its friendly disposition makes it suitable as a family pet.
- 2 a small short-legged smooth-coated breed of hound wordnet
- 3 A person who snoops on others; a detective.
"[…]whereas burying a body in the wooded area beyond the backyard was the quickest way to make a Nassau County Police Department beagle look good."
- 4 A bailiff.
- 5 A small kind of shark.
Verb
- 1 To hunt with beagles.
"[…] reading men who beagled for fresh air and exercise, impecunious hunting men who beagled for economy[…]"
- 2 To search.
"[…]Pope clapped his hand to his forehead and beagled like a maniac; he had clean forgotten Thorofare Gap."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The Beagle, which had been commissioned by the British Admiralty to explore and chart the coast of South America, employed Darwin as its onboard naturalist."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "beagle"?
Common synonyms include: bailiff, beadle, bound bailiff, captain, catchpole, chief of police.
How do you use "beagle" in a sentence?
The Beagle, which had been commissioned by the British Admiralty to explore and chart the coast of South America, employed Darwin as its onboard naturalist.
How do you pronounce "beagle"?
Pronounced /ˈbiːɡəl/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English *begel (attested in the plural begles), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle French beegueule (“one who keeps their mouth open”), whence modern French bégueule (“a colloquial insult said to women of low status and accused of stupidity, who always have their mouths gaped or open; a prude”); from Old French beer, bayer (“to gape, gawk”) + Old French gueule (“gullet”). The modern French bigle (“beagle”) however is a borrowing from the English. Alternatively, a modification of Middle English bedel (“beadle”) in the sense of "constable, detective". The change of /t/, /d/ to /k/, /ɡ/ before /l/ is common; compare hurkle, variant of hurtelen (“to hurtle”), and in Modern English, huckleberry, turkle (“turtle”), and stickle.