beaver

BEE-vur/ˈbivɚ/UKBEE-vuh/ˈbiːvə/

Pluralbeavers

Verbbeavers, beavering, beavered

16 meanings of beaver

Practice

1
animalnouncountable
A large semiaquatic rodent of the genus Castor, found in the Northern Hemisphere, with webbed feet and a broad, flat tail.
The beaver felled several young trees to build its lodge.
Beavers can stay underwater for several minutes while they work.
2
furnouncountable or uncountable
The soft, dense fur taken from the beaver.
The hat's brim was trimmed with glossy beaver.
Furriers valued beaver for its dense, water-shedding quality.
3
work hardverbintransitive
To work hard and steadily.
Volunteers beaver away clearing the trail every weekend.
She beavered away at her thesis late into the night.
UsageUsually beaver away, often at something: beavering away at a thesis.
Similartoil, slog, labor, plug, work
Oppositelaze, loaf, idle
Note
Effort pictured as the animal's tireless building. The gerund makes a handy noun. Felicity Heal writes of "the archival beavering of a generation of graduate students."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The work metaphor comes from the beaver's industrious building. en.wiktionary.org
Felicity Heal wrote the quoted phrase. en.wiktionary.org
4
private partsnounslangvulgarCanadaUScountable
Vulgar slang for the pubic hair near the vulva, or the vulva itself; used attributively of films or magazines featuring nude women.
He muttered something crude about her beaver and earned a slap.
The newsstand stocked beaver magazines beneath the respectable titles.
Similarbush, muff, pussy, snatch
Note
Harlan Ellison's "A Boy and His Dog" (1969) has a beaver flick, and James Ellroy's Destination: Morgue! (2004) has beaver books, both meaning material featuring nude women.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
Harlan Ellison wrote “A Boy and His Dog”, first published in 1969. en.wikipedia.org
“A Boy and His Dog” contains the phrase “beaver flick”. en.wiktionary.org
James Ellroy wrote Destination: Morgue!, first published in 2004. en.wikipedia.org
Destination: Morgue! contains the phrase “beaver books”. en.wiktionary.org
The attributive expressions refer to films or literature featuring nude women. en.wiktionary.org
5
nounCanadaUScountable or uncountable
The pelts of beavers treated as an item of exchange or as a measure of value.
A musket might be priced at twelve beaver at the post.
Traders settled their debts in beaver rather than coin.
UsageUsed with in (paid in beaver) and often unchanged after a number (twelve beaver).

Less common meanings

6
hatnouncountable
A hat of felted beaver fur, or later of silk, made in various shapes and fashionable in Europe from about 1550 to 1850.
The merchant brushed the rain from his beaver before stepping inside.
Tall beavers crowned the heads of the gentlemen at the assembly.
Note
A hat named for its material, since it was felted from the fur; castor is its synonym. William H. Prescott's History of the Reign of Philip the Second has "a broad beaver slouched over his eyes."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
The hat was named for its material. en.wikipedia.org
Beaver hats were made from felted beaver fur. en.wikipedia.org
Castor is a synonym for the hat. en.wiktionary.org
William H. Prescott's History of the Reign of Philip the Second contains the quoted wording. gutenberg.org
7
womannounslangoffensiveUScountable or uncountable
Offensive slang for a woman, especially one regarded as sexually attractive.
He referred to every woman in the office as a beaver, to everyone's disgust.
She bristled when the stranger called her a beaver.
UsageTreats a woman as a sexual object. Say woman instead.
Note
It also had a life on citizens band radio. In a 1977 Rolling Stone piece by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, a CB operator hails a female as "Beaver."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The word was used on citizens band radio for a female. en.wiktionary.org
The cited Rolling Stone piece appeared in 1977 and is credited to Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. en.wiktionary.org
The piece quotes a CB operator addressing a female as Beaver. en.wiktionary.org
8
wool clothnouncountable or uncountable
A heavy felted woolen cloth with a soft nap, used chiefly for making overcoats.
The overcoat was cut from beaver, a dense wool cloth with a soft nap.
Northern mills wove beaver for military greatcoats.
9
brown colornouncountable or uncountable
A shade of brown resembling the fur of a beaver.
The leather boots are available in black, chestnut, and a soft beaver.
Walls washed in soft beaver gave the study a cozy feel.
10
noun
In backgammon, an immediate redouble by a player who has just been doubled, made while keeping the doubling cube on their own side.
11
verb
In backgammon, to double the stakes again immediately after being doubled, keeping the doubling cube on one's own side.
12
verbrare
To take on a felt-like texture, in the manner that beaver fur is worked into felt.
Without these attentions the woad will not beaver well, a term descriptive of the fineness of the capillary filaments into which it draws out when broken between the finger and thumb.
1799, Arthur Young, General View of the Agriculture of the County of Lincoln
13
verbslang
To cut a continuous ring around the trunk of a tree being felled.
14
nounslang
A beard, or by extension a person who wears one.
The beards were false ones. I could see the elastic going over their ears. In other words, I had fallen among a band of criminals who were not wilful beavers, but had merely assumed the fungus for purposes of disguise.
1936, P. G. Wodehouse, Laughing Gas
15
nounslang
A spotting game in which points are scored by being the first to call out a passing beard.
16
verbslang
To spot and call out a beard while playing the game of beaver.
Beavering of foreign visitors does not count. This is a rule, but it is never carried out.
1922, Roanoke World-News, Roanoke

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of beaver apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English bever, from Old English befer, going back through Proto-Germanic to Proto-Indo-European *bʰébʰrus ('beaver'). It has cognates like German Biber, Latin fiber, and Russian бобр. The slang use for a woman grew out of a use for pubic hair, which grew out of a use for beards, which itself came from the name for the furry animal or its fur.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Beaver descends from Middle English bever and Old English befer through Proto-Germanic to Proto-Indo-European *bʰébʰrus, meaning 'beaver'. en.wiktionary.org
German Biber, Latin fiber, and Russian бобр are cognates. en.wiktionary.org
The slang senses developed in the sequence animal or fur → beard → pubic hair → woman. en.wiktionary.org