the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
a plant producing such seeds.
the pod of such a plant, especially when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.
Slang.
a person's head.
a coin or a bank note considered as a coin.
I can't pay for the ticket, I don't have a bean in my jeans.
British Informal. a minimum amount of money.
They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.
Informal. beans, the slightest amount.
He doesn't know beans about navigation.
full of beans,
energetic; vigorously active; vital.
He is still full of beans at 95.
stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
spill the beans, to disclose a secret, either accidentally or imprudently, thereby ruining a surprise or plan.
He spilled the beans, and she knew all about the party in advance.
Alan L(aVern), 1932–2018, U.S. astronaut.
Roy Judge, 1825?–1903, U.S. frontiersman and justice of the peace: called himself “the law west of the Pecos.”
any of various leguminous plants of the widely cultivated genus Phaseolus producing edible seeds in pods See French bean lima bean scarlet runner string bean
any of several other leguminous plants that bear edible pods or seeds, such as the broad bean and soya bean
any of various other plants whose seeds are produced in pods or podlike fruits
the seed or pod of any of these plants
any of various beanlike seeds, such as coffee
slang another word for head
slang excellent; impressive
slang to be without money
I haven't got a bean
informal
full of energy and vitality
mistaken; erroneous
informal to disclose something confidential
before 950; Middle English bene, Old English bēan; cognate with Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Dutch boon, Old Saxon, Old High German bona ( German Bohne ), probably < Germanic *babnō, cognate with Russian bob, Latin faba < European Indo-European *bhabh-
A bean is a seed you can eat. You might love garbanzo beans but detest large, green lima beans. When you order rice and beans at a Mexican restaurant, you get a plate full of deliciously spiced, slightly mashed pinto or black beans. You might plant beans in your garden, vine-like climbing plants that grow pods with beans inside. Coffee and chocolate are both foods that start out as beans. If someone beans you during a softball game, it means they hit you with the ball, usually in the head — also colloquially called a bean.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Search for fibermaxxing on social media and you’ll see any number of recipes for chia pudding and bean salad, as well as influencers talking up the benefits of a high-fiber diet.
From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026
Taylor says the buns are handmade in a bakery that handles nuts, the oil the kitchen uses is soya bean vegetable oil and sesame seeds on the buns "cover the entire kitchen".
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
“Little Chicago,” he said, sitting in his Newport Beach, Calif., office, working through a Taco Bell bean burrito.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
“Corporal Jarvis’ deployment of the less-lethal bean bag shotgun at that distance was in accordance with his training and reasonable under the circumstances,” the report states.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
Ma had shown me how to marinate it with soya, garlic, and fermented black bean.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.