beep

1 of 2

verb

beeped; beeping; beeps

transitive verb

1
: to cause to sound
beep a horn
2
: to send a message to (someone) with a beeper
Dr. Khoury was beeped to perform an emergency operation at American University Hospital.Scot Macleod

intransitive verb

1
: to sound a horn
2
: to make a beep

beep

2 of 2

noun

: a short usually high-pitched sound (as from a horn or an electronic device) that serves as a signal or warning

Examples of beep in a Sentence

Verb Why did you beep your horn at her? She beeped at me first. Something is beeping in the kitchen. I could hear a beeping noise. Noun the beep of a car horn Please leave a message after the beep.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Porter’s attorneys at the First Amendment Coalition said that beeping a car horn can be protected speech in many circumstances, such as when drivers are celebrating a World Series win or are indicating support for a candidate waving signs on the side of the road during the morning rush hour. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 Medical equipment whirs and beeps in the background. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023 Monitors beeped; Shakira played on the sound system. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023 The beeping warnings for quakes went off on their cellphones. Yuri Kageyama, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2024 As anyone who has tried to find a beeping cellphone that’s fallen behind the sofa knows, sighted people have a very limited ability to pinpoint the location or movement of objects based on auditory information. Ione Fine, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2023 The body armor, outfitted with laser sensors, would beep when its wearer was shot. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023 The Nablus ward was brightly lit and quiet, aside from the beeping monitors. Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023 But afterward, holding Link in a hospital bed, Herndon sensed that the machines tracking her vitals were beeping more than usual. Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Noun
In an era before starting beeps, automatic electronic touch pads at the finish walls and instant replays, international swimming had a complex system of measuring a victory. Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Re-gripping for 10 seconds and then again letting go, the third alert occurred at 11 seconds, but with an audible beep this time. Jim Resnick, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2024 Part of the proof, Khan says, includes audible beeps in his recording as state police started and stopped the interrogation. Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2024 This entails a continuous beep, which turns into a police siren (from the system, not a real police car), and the system then turns on the four-way emergency/hazard flashers. Jim Resnick, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2024 One beep every minute means that the battery is low and five beeps every minute means that the monitor is at the end of its life. Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2023 Photography: Javier Zayas/Getty Images Is this the way the walled garden ends: not with a bang but a beep? Lauren Goode, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024 Her blood sugar was plummeting, and the beep came from a continuous glucose monitor attached to her abdomen. Angela Hart | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023 The sleek clock doubles as decor, and will both lull you to sleep with the sounds of the ocean and calmly wake you in the morning by mimicking the sun’s rays, rather than just jolting you awake with a loud beep. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beep.' 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

Verb

from beep-beep, imitative of the sound of a horn, or verbal derivative of beep entry 2

Noun

earlier beep-beep, imitative of the sound of a horn

First Known Use

Verb

1933, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beep was in 1933

Dictionary Entries Near beep

Cite this Entry

“Beep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beep. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beep

noun
ˈbēp
: a sound that signals or warns
beep verb

More from Merriam-Webster on beep

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!