beads
beads — noun
1. a tiny ball or shape, often made of glass, wood, or plastic, with a narrow hole
a tiny ball or shape, often made of glass, wood, or plastic, with a narrow hole through its centre, used—usually many together on a cord—to create bracelets, necklaces, and other decorations
Jamal sorted the glass beads by colour before starting the bracelet.
sorted, glass beads
Theo threaded bright wooden beads onto a leather cord for his keychain.
Ananya found a single blue bead that had rolled under the sofa.
The necklace broke and tiny beads scattered across the kitchen floor.
Hiroshi bought a bag of ceramic beads at the craft market in town.
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural when talking about the objects for making jewellery, since they are handled in groups. The singular 'bead' refers to just one individual piece.
常見錯誤
2. a tiny round drop of a liquid—most often sweat, water, or blood—that sits on a s
a tiny round drop of a liquid—most often sweat, water, or blood—that sits on a surface or on skin
Beads of sweat gathered on Ricardo's forehead after the long run.
beads of sweat
The nurse wiped the beads of water from the patient's arm.
Beads of rain clung to the window, catching the morning light.
Nia noticed tiny red beads of blood on the child's scraped knee.
Cold beads of condensation formed on the glass of iced tea.
文法句型
beads of + liquid noun
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of' + a liquid noun. The pattern 'beads of [liquid]' is the standard collocation. Distinguish from sense 1: if you can thread it on a string, it is sense 1; if it is a droplet, it is sense 2.
常見錯誤
beads — verb
1. to decorate an item—usually fabric, leather, or clothing—by sewing, stitching, o
to decorate an item—usually fabric, leather, or clothing—by sewing, stitching, or gluing small beads onto its surface
Yuki beaded the collar of her jacket with tiny silver studs.
beaded, with
The designer beaded the wedding dress by hand over three weeks.
Amir beaded the edge of the cushion cover with blue glass pieces.
Valentina beaded intricate flower patterns onto the soft leather bags.
The artisan beaded a delicate border along the hem of the silk scarf.
文法句型
bead + object + with + material
用法筆記
Transitive; the direct object is the item being decorated, not the beads themselves. The beads are specified after 'with.'
2. to line up small objects one after another and connect them, much like beads are
to line up small objects one after another and connect them, much like beads are threaded onto a string
Ravi beaded the dried seeds into a long garland for the ceremony.
beaded, into
The chef beaded small cherry tomatoes onto skewers for the grill.
The children beaded dry macaroni tubes onto yarn to make simple necklaces.
Folami beaded small shells onto a braided thread to make a summer anklet.
文法句型
bead + object + onto/into + something
用法筆記
Rare literary usage. The items being connected are the direct object; the thread or wire follows 'on' or 'onto.' Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about decorating, sense 2 is about physically linking items in a row.
3. to gather into small rounded drops, as a liquid does when it sits on a surface i
to gather into small rounded drops, as a liquid does when it sits on a surface it cannot spread across
The paint beaded on the metal surface and refused to spread flat.
Water beaded along the edge of the leaf after the morning drizzle.
Sweat began to bead on the gardener's brow in the midday sun.
The melted wax beaded on the cold marble before cooling into spheres.
Oil beaded across the surface of the soup, glinting in the light.
- form droplets
a more scientific phrasal alternative; 'bead' is more literary and vivid
文法句型
liquid + bead + on + surface
用法筆記
Intransitive; the subject is always a liquid. This verb sense relates to noun sense 2 (liquid droplets); if the drops were solid objects you could string, that would be verb sense 2 instead.