beast

noun

1
a
: a four-footed mammal as distinguished from a human being, a lower vertebrate, and an invertebrate
b
: a lower animal as distinguished from a human being
c
: an animal as distinguished from a plant
d
: an animal under human control
2
: a contemptible person
3
: something formidably difficult to control or deal with

Examples of beast in a Sentence

dogs and other four-footed beasts the birds and beasts of the forest They were attacked by a savage beast. He's a cruel, hateful beast!
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The footprints, hundreds of them, were made by colossal beasts that roamed the earth 166 million years ago. Ian King, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025 The beast was getting stronger, the commenters said with satisfaction. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025 This is not even the first time in the past year that Tyler’s old material has resurfaced online, spawning a familiar ouroboros of online discourse, shrouded in the language of accountability and well-meaning politics, that mostly serves to feed the beast of online engagement. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025 An annoying, biker beast blasted out of my bowels onto the page and became the not-so-invisible embodiment of my disease. David Soren, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beast

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beste, from Anglo-French, from Latin bestia

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of beast was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Beast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beast. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

beast

noun
1
a
: a four-footed mammal as distinguished from human beings and from lower animals both with and without backbones
b
: a farm animal especially when kept for heavy work
2
: a mean or brutal person

More from Merriam-Webster on beast

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