# beak

/ˈbik/ (US) · /bˈiːk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/beak
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. bird's mouth

noun · CEFR B1

the hard, pointed part of a bird's head that it uses for eating and picking things up.

For teachers: the rigid, projecting anatomical structure forming the jaws of a bird.

- The eagle held a small fish tightly in its sharp beak.
- The finch's beak has evolved into a specialized tool for cracking open the tough seeds found in its specific habitat.

### 2. human nose

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal · Humorous

a person's nose, especially if it is large or pointed.

For teachers: a person's nose, typically one that is prominent, hooked, or pointed.

- He wore a pair of glasses that sat right on the end of his long beak.
- The caricature artist exaggerated the politician's prominent beak, making it the focal point of the entire drawing.

### 3. a judge or magistrate

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang

a word for a judge or a person in charge of a court.

For teachers: a magistrate or justice of the peace; occasionally applied to a schoolmaster in specific British contexts.

- He had to appear before the beak for his driving offences.
- The defendant hoped the beak would be in a lenient mood, given that this was his first minor infraction of the law.

### 4. cocaine

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Slang · Vulgar

a slang name for the drug cocaine.

For teachers: a slang term for cocaine, particularly in powdered form.

- The police found a small bag of beak in the back of the car.
- The documentary explored the devastating impact that the widespread availability of beak has had on local nightlife culture.

### 5. nautical prow

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical · Archaic

the pointed front part of an old ship used for ramming other boats.

For teachers: a metal-shod projection from the prow of an ancient galley used as a ram.

- The ancient warship was equipped with a heavy bronze beak to sink enemy vessels.
- Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved bronze beak on the seabed, providing evidence of the naval tactics used during the Punic Wars.

### 6. to strike or peck

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to hit or pick something up using a beak.

For teachers: to strike, peck, or seize an object with the beak.

- The mother bird would beak the fruit into smaller pieces for her young.
- The territorial swan began to beak the side of the wooden boat, defending its nesting site from the intruders.

## Examples

- The eagle used its sharp beak to tear the meat.
- The scientist observed how the bird's beak was perfectly shaped for cracking open tough seeds.
- Evolutionary biologists often study the variation in beak morphology among finches to understand how different species adapted to specific food sources on the islands.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.