What does "bean" mean?
Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.
Bean
/biːn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.
- Grammar: bean is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: noggin, a continental, a curse, a damn.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, evade, miss.
- Usage evidence: Jerry is the bean counter for our company.
How to use "bean"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bean" 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 "bean" 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 "bean" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bean" 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 "bean" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "noggin" 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 "bean", 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 Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.
"2004, T. N. Shivenanda, B. R. V. Iyengar, Phosphorus Management in French Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Ramdane Dris, S. Mohan Jain (editors), Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops, Volume 2: Plant Mineral Nutrition and Pesticide Management, page 79, Beans are a large group of leguminous vegetables that serve as a main source of proteins in human diet. This group comprises several species and some of them are Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis); Broad bean (Vicia faba); Cluster bean (Cyamposis tetragonoloba); French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris); […] ."
- 2 informal terms for a human head wordnet
- 3 The large edible seed of such a plant (for example, a broad bean, navy bean, or garbanzo bean).
- 4 any of various edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae used for food wordnet
- 5 The edible seedpod of such a plant.
"Green beans, also called French beans, can be pickled."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 any of various leguminous plants grown for their edible seeds and pods wordnet
- 7 The bean-like seed of certain other plants, such as a vanilla bean or (especially) a coffee bean. broadly
- 8 any of various seeds or fruits that are beans or resemble beans wordnet
- 9 An object resembling a pea or bean in shape, often made from plastic or styrofoam and used in large numbers as packing material or as stuffing for beanbags and similar items. broadly
- 10 The head or brain. slang
"Now, there was a perfectly sound forecast for you. Certainly a case of using the old bean. The surmise was perfectly logical."
- 11 The human clitoris. slang
"For one, don't stage a full-frontal assault on her bean."
- 12 A person; especially, a baby. endearing, often, slang
"Sparky is a good bean, even if he is a carpet-bagging bean at that."
- 13 A guinea coin or sovereign. British, archaic, slang
- 14 Money. British, slang
"I haven't got a bean."
- 15 Clipping of JavaBean. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
"The singerOne bean has values for both the name and age properties, so it passes through the init() method with absolutely no changes."
- 16 Any form of tablet, especially benzedrine (benny). slang
"Once the bean kicked in I started wilding."
- 17 A toe bean. colloquial, in-plural
Verb
- 1 To hit with a projectile, especially a deliberately aimed blow to the head.
"The pitcher beaned the batter, rather than letting him hit another home run."
- 2 hit on the head, especially with a pitched baseball wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A village and civil parish in Dartford borough, Kent, England (OS grid ref TQ5872).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Jerry is the bean counter for our company."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bean"?
Common synonyms include: noggin, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot.
How do you use "bean" in a sentence?
Jerry is the bean counter for our company.
How do you pronounce "bean"?
Pronounced /biːn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bene, from Old English bēan, from Proto-West Germanic *baunu, from Proto-Germanic *baunō (“bean”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ- (“bean”). Cognate with Scots bene, bein (“bean”), North Frisian buan (“bean”), Saterland Frisian Boone (“bean”), West Frisian bean, beanne (“bean”), Dutch boon (“bean”), German Bohne (“bean”), Luxembourgish Boun (“bean”), Danish bønne (“bean”), Faroese bøn, bøna (“bean”), Icelandic baun (“bean”), Norwegian Bokmål bønne (“bean”), Norwegian Nynorsk bauna, baune, bogna, bønne, Swedish böna (“bean”), Irish pónaire (“bean”), Manx poanrey (“bean”), Scottish Gaelic pònair (“bean”), Latin faba (“bean”), Russian боб (bob, “bean”), Serbo-Croatian бо̏б/bȍb. Doublet of fava.
Etymology 2
Probably an occupational surname for a bean farmer, from bean.