beta

BAY-tuh/ˈbeɪtə/UKBEE-tuh/ˈbiːtə/

20 meanings of beta

1
nouncountable or uncountable
The second letter of the Greek alphabet, written Β or β. In modern Greek it sounds like v.
In the Greek alphabet, beta comes right after alpha.
She practiced writing a beta in her notebook until it looked right.
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2
noununcountable
The time when unfinished software is given to some users to test before it comes out.
Like letting a few friends try a new game before you share it with everyone.
The game is still in beta, so you may find some bugs.
The app will leave beta and come out for everyone next month.
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3
nouncountable
An early, unfinished version of a computer program that people can try and test.
I downloaded the beta of the new game so I could play it early.
The team sent out a new beta after fixing many bugs.
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4
adjective
Describes an early, unfinished version of something that is given out so people can test it.
You can try the beta version of the app, but it may crash.
Beta software is free for anyone who wants to help test it.
5
nounslangcountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for beta male. Slang for a man seen as less capable or less attractive than an alpha male.
He called his friend a beta for letting everyone else pick the movie.
In the story, she chooses the kind, quiet beta over the bossy leader.
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6
nouncountable or uncountable
A tiny particle or ray of radiation. Its full name is beta particle or beta ray.
The counter clicks each time a beta passes through it.
Paper cannot stop a beta, but a thin sheet of metal can.
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7
nouncountable or uncountable
A number showing how much the price of a stock or bond tends to move with the whole market.
This stock has a high beta, so its price jumps more than the market does.
She chose funds with a low beta because she did not want big ups and downs.
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8
adjective
Typical of a beta male or beta female, a person seen as less in charge than an alpha.
He was tired of being seen as the beta guy in his group of friends.
Some people online call any kind gesture a beta move.
Oppositealpha
9
adjective
Second in rank, coming just after the one at the top.
The beta hen eats right after the top hen has finished.
In the wolf pack, the beta wolf helps the leader keep the others in line.
10
verbtransitive
To put out an early version of a computer program so people can test it before the final one.
We will beta the new app with a small group of users next month.
The studio betaed the game for six weeks before it went on sale.
Similartest
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11
nouncountable or uncountable
Information about a climbing route that helps a person climb it.
Can you give me some beta on this climb?
She watched other climbers first to get the beta for the hard part of the wall.
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12
verbtransitive
To read someone's writing before it is shared and help them fix problems.
Can you beta my new chapter before I post it?
My friend betaed the story and found lots of typos.
Similarreview, critique
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13
SayBAY-tahUS/ˈbeɪtɑ/UK/ˈbeɪtɑː/
noundialectalHinglishIndiaNorthPakistancountable or uncountable
A loving name for a friend or a child, a bit like calling someone son or brother.
Beta, come and eat your lunch before it gets cold.
Thanks for helping me move, beta, you're a true friend.
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14
adjective
Used to name one particular place in the molecule of an organic chemical.
The chemist marked the beta position on the drawing of the molecule.
In this compound, a chlorine atom is attached at the beta carbon.
15
nouncountable or uncountable
Alternative spelling of betta. Used for a kind of fish, such as the Siamese fighting fish.
My little brother keeps a blue beta in a bowl on his desk.
The pet store had a red beta with long, flowing fins.
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16
nounnonstandarduncountable
Things made early on for a game or other product but left out of the finished version.
Fans love digging through old betas, the levels and monsters that got cut from the game.
This video shows every beta that was left out of the final version.
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17
nounslangcountable or uncountable
In omegaverse fan fiction, a person like an ordinary human, without the strong urges alphas and omegas have.
In her story, the main character is a beta who works for an alpha.
Most people in the story's town are betas, so nobody notices the new omega at first.
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18
nounrarecountable or uncountable
A grade for schoolwork that is better than a gamma but worse than an alpha.
My history essay got a beta, so I need to work a little harder.
The English class was for me delightful. My essays, still written under the influence of Kubla Khan, nearly always got a beta plus.
1979, Angus MacVicar, Silver in My Sporran: Confessions of a Writing ManHere, beta means a school grade below the top grade, alpha.
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19
nouncountable or uncountable
The sideways angle between where a plane's nose points and the way it is really moving through the air.
When the pilot pushed too hard on the rudder, beta went up and the plane slid sideways.
A small vane on the nose of the test plane measures beta.
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20
nouncountable or uncountable
Power settings in which the pilot directly sets the angle of the propeller blades, which can then slow the plane quickly.
On the ground, pilots use beta to keep the plane moving slowly.
When the propeller is in beta, it can slow the plane very quickly.
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Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–12, 14–20

From the Ancient Greek word bêta.

Meaning 13

From the Hindi word beṭā.