# beast

Pronunciation: say "BEEST" /biːst/

## Noun

1. An animal, especially a large or wild four-legged one; also animals as a group, as distinct from humans.
   - Simple: An animal, especially a big or wild one, or animals in general rather than people.
   - _The travelers feared the beasts that prowled the mountain passes._
   - _A beast as large as an ox blocked the narrow trail._
2. A monstrously strange and dangerous creature, beyond an ordinary animal.
   - Simple: A strange, frightening animal, almost like a monster.
   - _Sailors told of a monstrous beast that dragged ships beneath the waves._
   - _The hero faced a beast no weapon seemed able to wound._
3. A thing or matter, especially one that is difficult or hard to manage.
   - Simple: A thing or task, especially one that is hard to control.
   - _Quantum mechanics is a different beast from classical physics._
   - _Running a small farm is its own beast entirely._
4. Someone or something remarkably powerful, large, or impressive. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A person or thing that is very strong, big, or impressive.
   - _Their flagship engine is a beast, producing twice the power of its rivals._
   - _The new server is an absolute beast, handling huge loads without slowing._
5. Someone who acts with violence, savagery, or contempt for the norms of society.
   - Simple: A person who acts in a cruel, wild, or violent way.
   - _Years in the gang had made him a beast who felt no remorse._
   - _The mob became a pack of beasts, smashing everything in their path._
6. A domestic farm animal, especially a bovine such as a cow or ox.
   - Simple: A farm animal, especially a cow or an ox.
   - _The herd numbered forty beasts, all ready for market._
   - _A single beast can graze several acres over a season._
8. A contemptuous term for a sex offender. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A person who has committed sexual crimes, used as a harsh insult.
   - _Once word got round the landing that he was inside for sexually assaulting a teenager, the other men started calling him a beast._
   - _Some officers privately refer to the inmates on the sex offenders' wing as beasts, though they know they shouldn't._
10. A monstrous creature that opposes God in the Book of Revelation, often taken to be the Antichrist and tied to the number 666; usually called the Beast.
   - Simple: An evil monster in the Book of Revelation that is God's enemy, often linked to the number 666.
   - _Medieval artists painted the Beast with seven heads and ten horns, rising out of the sea._
   - _Over the centuries, preachers have named one ruler after another as the Beast._

## Adjective

7. Great, excellent, or powerful. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: Very good, strong, or powerful.
   - _The concert was beast, the best show all year._
   - _Her new gaming setup is absolutely beast._

## Verb

9. To impose hard physical exercise on someone, either as training or as punishment. *(British)*
   - Simple: To make someone do very hard exercise as training or punishment.
   - _Instructors beast the trainees with endless drills before dawn._
   - _He was beasted relentlessly during the first week of selection._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To have sexual intercourse with someone, especially in an illicit context.

## Origin

From Middle English beeste, from Old French beste (modern French bête), from Latin bēstia meaning "animal, beast."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/beast (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).