Definitions
01large animal
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Literary
n. a large, wild, or dangerous animal.
n. a large or formidable animal, typically a land vertebrate, as distinguished from humans, insects, or fish.
日本語:獣※
“The hunters followed the tracks of the great beast through the deep snow.”
“Ancient myths often feature a hero who must travel to a distant land to slay a mythical beast that has been terrorising the local villages.”
Antonyms
02cruel person
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a person who is very cruel, violent, or behaves like an animal.
n. a person who acts in a violent, antisocial, or uncivilised manner, lacking human empathy.
日本語:獣※
“The dictator was a beast who showed no mercy to his own people.”
“The prosecutor described the defendant as a beast, arguing that the calculated nature of the crime proved a total lack of human conscience.”
03difficult thing
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. something that is very difficult, unpleasant, or hard to control.
n. a thing or matter that is particularly difficult, complex, or unruly to manage.
“This new software project is a beast and will take months to finish.”
“The tax code is a different beast entirely, requiring years of specialised study to navigate its various loopholes and contradictions.”
04skilled person
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Sports Slang
n. someone who is very strong, talented, or impressive at what they do.
n. an individual who displays exceptional skill, power, or dominance, particularly in athletic or competitive contexts.
“He is an absolute beast on the football field and nobody can stop him.”
“After months of intensive training, she became a beast in the weight room, consistently outperforming athletes twice her size.”
Teaching tip
This is a positive term in modern slang, especially in gym culture and gaming, though it sounds aggressive in other contexts.
Synonyms
05harsh training
C2 · Proficiency British English · Informal
v. to make someone do very hard physical exercise as a punishment or training.
v. to subject someone to arduous physical exercises, typically as a disciplinary measure or intensive military training.
“The sergeant would beast the recruits if they arrived late for morning drill.”
“The rugby coach was known to beast his players during the pre-season, believing that extreme physical fatigue built mental resilience.”
Usage
Usually used as a transitive verb where the subject is an authority figure.
06excellent
C1 · Advanced Slang
adj. very good, powerful, or impressive.
adj. denoting something that is excellent, powerful, or of high quality.
“That new car has a beast engine that sounds amazing.”
“The guitarist delivered a beast performance that left the entire audience in awe of his technical proficiency.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “beast” in context.
Verb
01. tame the beast
“It took months of patient training for the handler to finally tame the beast.”
verb + noun
02. unleash the beast
“The athlete seemed to unleash the beast within during the final minutes of the championship game.”
verb + noun
Adjective
03. burdened beast
“The old donkey looked like a weary, burdened beast as it trudged up the steep mountain path.”
adj + noun
04. mythical beast
“The tapestry depicted a mythical beast with the head of a lion and the wings of an eagle.”
adj + noun
Noun
05. beast of burden
“For centuries, the ox has served as a primary beast of burden for farmers in this region.”
noun + of + noun
06. nature of the beast
“Long hours and high stress are simply the nature of the beast in the investment banking industry.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
07. like a beast
“He worked like a beast all weekend to ensure the project was finished before the deadline.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“On Tuesday, ECB policymaker Joachim Nagel asserted that the European Central Bank has managed to control the "greedy beast" of inflation, marking a shift from his typically cautious demeanor.” “And besides, it’s a total classic: any excuse to revisit its absolute beast of a rhythm track.” “The fossil, collected in Antarctica in 1985, is part of the tail of a beast called a Titanosaur.” Etymology
From Middle English beeste, beste, from Old French beste (French bête), from Latin bēstia (“animal, beast”); many cognates – see bēstia.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/beast
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0