noun
beard
beerd
noun
1
The hair that grows on the chin, cheeks, and jaw of a man's face.
"He'd grown a thick beard over the winter."
"She asked him to trim his beard before the wedding."
2
Slang for a person who accompanies someone (often as a partner in public) to hide that person's sexual orientation or a secret relationship.
"Rumours suggested the actress was acting as a beard for her closeted co-star."
verb
1
To confront someone boldly and openly, often facing them down despite the risk.
"He decided to beard the manager directly about the missing wages."
How to Use Beard
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFacial hair on a man's chin and jaw; informally, someone used to disguise another person's relationship or orientation.
Common pairings
grow a beard
a bushy beard
trim a beard
Word Forms
bearded past tense, beards plural, beards singular
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Etymology
From Old English beard, an ancient Germanic word for facial hair, related to Latin barba (which also gives us "barber" and "barb").