# beast

/ˈbist/ (US) · /bˈiːst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/beast
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. large animal

noun · CEFR B1 · Literary

a large, wild, or dangerous animal.

For teachers: a large or formidable animal, typically a land vertebrate, as distinguished from humans, insects, or fish.

- 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.

### 2. cruel person

noun · CEFR B2

a person who is very cruel, violent, or behaves like an animal.

For teachers: a person who acts in a violent, antisocial, or uncivilised manner, lacking human empathy.

- 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.

### 3. difficult thing

noun · CEFR B2

something that is very difficult, unpleasant, or hard to control.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. skilled person

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang

someone who is very strong, talented, or impressive at what they do.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. harsh training

verb · CEFR C2 · British English · Informal

to make someone do very hard physical exercise as a punishment or training.

For teachers: 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.

### 6. excellent

adjective · CEFR C1 · Slang

very good, powerful, or impressive.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- He is a beast on the basketball court.
- She was a total beast during the final week of the project, finishing every task ahead of schedule.
- While his teammates struggled with the physical demands of the training camp, he proved to be an absolute beast, consistently outperforming the veterans in every drill.

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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.