Word
bleep
US/ˈbɫip/
UK/blˈiːp/
Definition
n. a short, high sound made by a machine. You often hear this sound when a microwave finishes or when a bad word is hidden on TV.
n. a short, high-pitched electronic sound, often used as a signal or to censor offensive language in a broadcast.
Examples
“The microwave gave a loud bleep when the food was ready.”
“The television station had to insert a bleep over the guest's sudden angry outburst during the live interview.”
“In a medical setting, the constant bleep of the heart monitor provides a rhythmic reassurance of the patient's stability to the nursing staff on duty.”
Examples
simple
“The microwave gave a loud bleep when the food was ready.”
contextual
“The television station had to insert a bleep over the guest's sudden angry outburst during the live interview.”
complex
“In a medical setting, the constant bleep of the heart monitor provides a rhythmic reassurance of the patient's stability to the nursing staff on duty.”
Usage
Often used as a verb to describe the act of making the sound or censoring speech.
Etymology
Onomatopoeic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/bleep