beep

USBEEP/biːp/

Pluralbeeps

Verbbeeps, beeping, beeped

11 meanings of beep

Practice

1
nouncountable
A short, high sound made by a machine or device.
Like the quick sound a toy makes when you press a button.
The microwave gave a loud beep when the food was ready.
Each beep from the alarm clock made her open her eyes.
Similarbleep
Note
2
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make a short, high electronic sound.
The oven beeps when the timer runs out.
Please beep the horn twice so I know you're here.
Similarhonk, toot, hoot
Note
3
nouncountable
A short sound made by a car horn or something like it.
A loud beep from behind told her the light had changed.
He gave a quick beep to say hello as he drove past.
Similarhonk, toot, hoot, blast
Note
4
verbtransitive
To send a message to someone using a pager.
The hospital will beep you if your test results come in.
She beeped the doctor when the patient's fever spiked.
Similarpage
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5
nouncountable
A message sent to someone's pager.
She got a beep from the office during dinner.
The on-call doctor answered every beep right away.
Similarpage
Note
6
verbtransitive
To call someone and hang up after one ring so they call you back.
Like ringing a bell once so someone knows to come to you.
If you're low on minutes, just beep me and I'll call back.
She beeped her brother so he would phone her instead.
Similarflash
Note
7
verbcolloquialeuphemistictransitive
A polite, joking way to say to have sex with someone.
She swore she would never beep her ex again.
He claimed two of the cast had beeped each other off-screen.
Similarbang, bonk, boink, bone, mount
Note
8
nouncountable
A special computer character that makes a device give a short sound.
Like a secret signal hidden in text that tells the computer to make a sound.
The program sends a beep down the terminal whenever a command fails.
Typing those keys sent a beep to the old machine's speaker.
Similarbell
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Less common meanings

9
noundatedUScountable
A small half-ton military truck used for general jobs.
The sergeant parked the beep behind the supply tent.
Two soldiers loaded crates onto the beep before dawn.
Note
10
noundatedUScountable
A Dodge military truck from World War II, built in half-ton to one-ton sizes.
The platoon rode out in a battered beep loaded with ammunition.
He learned to drive on an old army beep.
11
noundatedUScountable
A three-quarter-ton military truck used for general jobs.
They hitched a trailer to the beep for the long haul.
The driver backed the beep up to the loading dock.
Note

Practice

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

Origins

Meanings 1–8

The word imitates the sound.

Meanings 9–11

A blend of "big" and "jeep," for bigger versions of the light truck called the Willys MB "Jeep."