bean

/biːn/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈin] /biːn/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈin] /ˈbēn/ (ame, mw)

bean — noun

  • beansingular
  • beansplural

1. a seed or a long green pod from a climbing plant that people cook and eat as a v

1.名詞A2
釋義

a seed or a long green pod from a climbing plant that people cook and eat as a vegetable

例句

For dinner, Devika added black beans to the rice for extra protein.

collocation: black beans / kidney beans / green beans

Tuan planted green bean seeds in the garden last spring.

同義詞
  • legume

    broader category that includes beans, peas, and lentils; more technical

  • pulse

    used mainly for dried edible seeds like lentils and chickpeas; less common in everyday speech

文法句型

bean(s) as a countable noun

用法筆記

This sense covers both the seed (e.g., kidney beans, black beans) and the long green pod (e.g., green beans, string beans). When the context is cooking, the plural form 'beans' is most common.

常見錯誤

❌I bought beans at the store — they were long and green.
✅I bought green beans at the store.
💡When referring to the pods, use 'green beans' rather than just 'beans' for clarity.

2. someone's head and the brain inside it, used in informal or conversational langu

2.名詞B2
釋義

someone's head and the brain inside it, used in informal or conversational language

例句

The baseball hit Esteban right on the bean during the game.

phrase: 'on the bean' meaning on the head

Use your bean, Jude, and think about what you are going to say.

同義詞
  • noggin

    equally informal, British English

  • skull

    more clinical, refers specifically to the bone structure

文法句型

the bean (singular)

one's bean (possessive)

用法筆記

This is a light-hearted or slang use. Common in fixed phrases like 'use your bean' (use your brain / think) or 'catch someone on the bean' (hit someone on the head). Cannot be used in formal writing or serious medical contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor examined his bean for signs of injury.
✅The doctor examined his head for signs of injury.
💡'Bean' is too informal for medical or serious contexts.

3. a small, oval seed from plants such as the coffee plant or the cacao tree, used

3.名詞B1
釋義

a small, oval seed from plants such as the coffee plant or the cacao tree, used to make drinks or chocolate

例句

Heather bought a bag of whole coffee beans from the shop on the corner.

collocation: coffee beans / cocoa beans

Before shipping, the farmer dried cocoa beans under the hot sun every day.

同義詞
  • coffee bean

    more specific; the most common use of this sense

文法句型

[type] + beans

用法筆記

The word 'bean' here refers to the seed of certain plants, not the vegetable sense. The type of plant is usually specified: 'coffee beans', 'cocoa beans', 'vanilla beans'.

常見錯誤

❌I brewed a cup of hot bean.
✅I brewed a cup of coffee from ground beans.
💡'Bean' alone cannot mean 'coffee'; you must say 'coffee bean' or specify the type.

4. great liveliness and high energy, used only in the fixed phrase 'full of beans'

4.名詞B2
釋義

great liveliness and high energy, used only in the fixed phrase 'full of beans'

例句

After a good night's sleep, the children were full of beans and ready to play.

fixed phrase: 'full of beans'

Hana was full of beans at the party, dancing and chatting with everyone there.

同義詞
  • lively

    standard register, not fixed to a phrase

  • energetic

    standard register, describes the same state

  • bubbly

    informal, describes an outgoing and enthusiastic personality

反義詞
  • exhausted

    a person who is 'full of beans' is the opposite of exhausted

文法句型

full of beans (fixed phrase)

用法筆記

This sense only exists inside the idiom 'full of beans'. You cannot say 'He has a lot of beans today' or 'She is full of bean'. The phrase is positive and describes someone who is actively energetic, not just awake.

常見錯誤

❌The puppy is full of bean today.
✅The puppy is full of beans today.
💡'Beans' must be plural in this fixed phrase.
❌She was full of beans after a long, tiring day.
✅She was full of beans after a good night's rest.
💡The phrase implies high energy, so it doesn't fit a tired context.

5. something that is worth very little or nothing; used in the fixed phrase 'not ha

5.名詞B2
釋義

something that is worth very little or nothing; used in the fixed phrase 'not have a bean' to mean having no money at all

例句

After losing his job, Tuan did not have a bean to his name.

negative phrase: 'not have a bean'

Do not pay any attention to his complaints — they are not worth a bean.

同義詞
  • broke

    more common modern term for having no money

反義詞
  • wealthy

    the opposite of 'not having a bean' is being rich

文法句型

not have a bean (fixed phrase)

not worth a bean

用法筆記

This sense appears most frequently in negative phrases. 'Not have a bean' means having no money at all and is informal, similar to 'broke'. 'Not worth a bean' means completely worthless. Both are old-fashioned but still understood.

常見錯誤

❌I have a bean in my pocket.' (wrong meaning)
✅I do not have a bean in my pocket.
💡The phrase only works in negative contexts to mean 'no money'.
❌She has not a bean.
✅She does not have a bean.
💡Requires 'do not / does not have', not a bare negative.

bean — verb