beau

noun

plural beaux ˈbōz How to pronounce beau (audio) or beaus

Examples of beau in a Sentence

Her beaux between marriage generally fell into two categories: ineffectual pretty boys or handsome brutes. Joanne Kaufman, People, 21 Mar. 1988
This was essentially the vehicle that had been perfected, through more than a century or two, for—and by—a continuing line of fops, beaux, macaronis, dudes, bucks, blades, swells, bloods and mashers. Osbert Sitwell, The Scarlet Tree, 1975
She introduced us to her latest beau. her new beau brought flowers when he picked her up for their first date
Recent Examples on the Web In August 2019, Collins and McDowell went Instagram with a photo of her and her beau in Paris, France. Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 15 Aug. 2024 Emily breaks things off with her British beau Alfie to finally pursue a romantic relationship with Gabriel after seasons of romantic tension and covert flirtation. Cady Lang, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024 The trailer sees Kody’s ex-wife introduce her new beau to her former sister wives and former husband. Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 13 Aug. 2024 Eight months later, in June 1967, Mansfield, her beau, and the driver were killed when their car slammed into a stalled tractor-trailer, peeling the top of the vehicle off like a can of sardines. Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beau 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beau.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from beau, bel (masculine), belle (feminine) "beautiful, good-looking," going back to Old French bel, going back to Latin bellus, probably going back (via *duellos, assimilated from *duenlos) to *dwenelos, diminutive of *dwe-nos "good" (whence Old Latin duenos, Latin bonus) — more at bounty

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of beau was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near beau

Cite this Entry

“Beau.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beau. Accessed 2 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

beau

noun
plural beaux ˈbōz How to pronounce beau (audio) or beaus
ˈbōz
Etymology

from French beau "boyfriend," from beau (adjective) "fine, beautiful," derived from Latin bellus "pretty" — related to beauty, belle

More from Merriam-Webster on beau

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