beaver
1a large, amphibious rodent of the genus Castor, having sharp incisors, webbed hind feet, and a flattened tail, noted for its ability to dam streams with trees, branches, etc.
the fur of this animal.
a flat, round hat made of beaver fur or a similar fabric.
Informal. a full beard or a man wearing one.
Informal. an exceptionally active or hard-working person.
Slang: Vulgar.
a woman's pubic area.
Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman.
Textiles.
a cotton cloth with a thick nap, used chiefly in the manufacture of work clothes.
(formerly) a heavy, soft, woolen cloth with a thick nap, made to resemble beaver fur.
Beaver . a native or inhabitant of Oregon, the Beaver State (used as a nickname).
British. to work very hard or industriously at something (usually followed by away).
Origin of beaver
1usage note For beaver
Other words from beaver
- bea·ver·like, bea·ver·ish, adjective
Words Nearby beaver
Other definitions for beaver (2 of 2)
a piece of plate armor for covering the lower part of the face and throat, worn especially with an open helmet, as a sallet or basinet.: Compare buffe, wrapper (def. 7).
a piece of plate armor, pivoted at the sides, forming part of a close helmet below the visor or ventail.
Origin of beaver
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use beaver in a sentence
However, only about a third of these sites occurred near features such as beaver feeding trails.
Wolves use ambush tactics to hunt unsuspecting beavers | Kate Baggaley | February 12, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThat was the Year of the beaver, when trees by the creek were suddenly reduced to pointed nubs, like pencils in a sharpener.
When you walk a dog, your mind is as likely to wander as the dog is | John Kelly | February 10, 2021 | Washington PostI’ve gotten bell to bell face shots of champagne powder at Steamboat Springs, ripped groomer after groomer under a cloudless sky at beaver Creek and racked up insane amounts of vertical at Jackson Hole.
A Yupik Eskimo-made seal skin hat I have, lined with beaver is impervious to the coldest wind, and it’s too hot to wear with any sort of strenuous activity.
Dress like an Alaskan to weather the winter cold | By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life | January 20, 2021 | Popular-ScienceA newlywed couple settling into a neighborhood that’s more “Leave it to beaver” than Avengers Tower.
‘WandaVision’ on Disney Plus gives Marvel Studios its first true power couple | David Betancourt | January 15, 2021 | Washington Post
I worked like a beaver to get it out, and yet the disease appeared to creep from limb to limb of the study before me.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA dead beaver was spotted near Edgewater Court near the water.
In Oregon, No Silly Call Is Too Small for Papers’ Police Blotters | Kelly Williams Brown | January 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe damp, gray beaver State is attracting the most incoming movers of any other state, according to a new survey.
Commenting on his vanilla—some might even say “hokey”—demeanor, my wife said he reminded her of the father on Leave It to beaver.
Face It, Republicans, ‘Bazooka Joe’ Biden Won the VP Debate | Matt Latimer | October 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTSure, Mitt Romney seems ripe for parody, what with his Leave It to beaver vibe and eye-popping wealth.
Is Mitt Romney Beyond Satire? Comedy Writers Underwhelmed by Candidate | Michelle Cottle | August 10, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThey also took advantage of the necessity of others, in miserly traffic in beaver skins with the Savages.
These precautions are necessary, because, like all enterprising animals, the beaver is not without enemies.
Harper's Young People, November 30, 1880 | VariousFrom what has been said, it will be readily seen that the maintenance of the dam is a matter of vital importance to the beaver.
Harper's Young People, November 30, 1880 | VariousAfter dinner to horse again, being in nothing troubled but the badness of my hat, which I borrowed to save my beaver.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete | Samuel PepysThey heard nothing further from the scouts until late in the day, and then Black beaver overtook them.
Three Sioux Scouts | Elmer Russell Gregor
British Dictionary definitions for beaver (1 of 3)
/ (ˈbiːvə) /
a large amphibious rodent, Castor fiber, of Europe, Asia, and North America: family Castoridae . It has soft brown fur, a broad flat hairless tail, and webbed hind feet, and constructs complex dams and houses (lodges) in rivers
the fur of this animal
mountain beaver a burrowing rodent, Aplodontia rufa, of W North America: family Aplodontidae
a tall hat of beaver fur or a fabric resembling it, worn, esp by men, during the 19th century
a woollen napped cloth resembling beaver fur, formerly much used for overcoats, etc
a greyish- or yellowish-brown
obsolete a full beard
a bearded man
(modifier) having the colour of beaver or made of beaver fur or some similar material: a beaver lamb coat; a beaver stole
(intr usually foll by away) to work industriously or steadily
Origin of beaver
1British Dictionary definitions for beaver (2 of 3)
/ (ˈbiːvə) /
a movable piece on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower part of the face
Origin of beaver
2British Dictionary definitions for Beaver (3 of 3)
/ (ˈbiːvə) /
a member of a Beaver Colony, the youngest group of boys (aged 6–8 years) in the Scout Association
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with beaver
see busy as a beaver; eager beaver; work like a beaver.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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