bean

IPA/biːn/
KK[bˈin]IPA/biːn/

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.nounA2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • black beans
  • kidney beans
  • green beans
  • baked beans
  • bean soup
  • bean salad
  • soybeans
Synonyms
  • 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

Grammar Patterns

bean(s) as a countable noun

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.nounB2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • on the bean
  • use your bean
Synonyms
  • noggin

    equally informal, British English

  • skull

    more clinical, refers specifically to the bone structure

Grammar Patterns

the bean (singular)

one's bean (possessive)

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.nounB1
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • coffee beans
  • cocoa beans
  • roast beans
  • grind beans
  • whole beans
  • vanilla beans
Synonyms
  • coffee bean

    more specific; the most common use of this sense

Grammar Patterns

[type] + beans

Usage Note

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'.

Common Mistakes

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.nounB2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • full of beans
Synonyms
  • lively

    standard register, not fixed to a phrase

  • energetic

    standard register, describes the same state

  • bubbly

    informal, describes an outgoing and enthusiastic personality

Antonyms
  • exhausted

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

Grammar Patterns

full of beans (fixed phrase)

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.nounB2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • not have a bean
  • not worth a bean
  • without a bean
Synonyms
  • broke

    more common modern term for having no money

Antonyms
  • wealthy

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

Grammar Patterns

not have a bean (fixed phrase)

not worth a bean

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.
Idioms

spill the beans

idiom

to tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know it, usually by accident

Megan accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.

The group agreed not to spill the beans until the announcement was official.

full of beans

idiom

having a lot of energy and enthusiasm; very lively

The puppy is full of beans every morning and wants to run outside right away.

Even after a long flight, Talia was still full of beans and wanted to explore the city.

not have a bean

idiom

to have no money at all; to be completely broke

After paying the rent, Jude did not have a bean left for food that week.

The young artist travelled around Europe without a bean in her pocket.

bean — verb

Word family

  • beans
    noun (plural)A2
  • beany
    adjectiveC2
  • beaned
    verb (past tense)C1
  • beaned
    adjective (informal)C2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words refer to edible seeds from plants in the Fabaceae (legume) family, but they differ in how specific and common they are. 'Bean' is the everyday word people use for common food items like kidney beans, green beans, and soybeans. 'Legume' is a broader botanical term that includes beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, and peanuts — it is more common in scientific or agricultural writing than in casual conversation. 'Pulse' is narrower than 'legume' but less common than 'bean'; it refers specifically to the dried, edible seeds of leguminous plants, such as lentils, dried chickpeas, and split peas. For example, you would say 'I put black beans in the soup' (natural), not 'I put legumes in the soup' (too technical) or 'I put pulses in the soup' (too specific/dry).

bean ↗legume ↗pulse ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bean + soup
  • bean + salad
  • bean + dip
  • bean + plant
  • coffee + bean
  • cocoa + bean

Phrases

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'bean' comes from Old English 'bēan', which meant the seed of a bean plant. This goes back to Proto-Germanic '*baunō', and is related to Dutch 'boon' and German 'Bohne'. The meaning expanded over time from the vegetable seed to include seeds of other plants (coffee beans, cocoa beans) in the 1600s, and the informal slang meanings for 'head' and 'energy' appeared in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb