beck

1 of 3

verb

ˈbek 

becked; becking; becks

transitive verb

archaic

: beckon

beck

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

chiefly Scotland : bow, curtsy

2

a

: a beckoning gesture

b

: summons, bidding

beck

3 of 3

noun (2)

British

: creek sense 1

Phrases

at one's beck and call

: ready to obey one's command immediately

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• bourn
• bourne
• brook
• brooklet
• burn [British]
• creek
• gill [British]
• rill
• rivulet
• run [chiefly Midland]
• runlet
• runnel
• streamlet

Examples of beck in a Sentence

Noun (2)

when we were lads, we raced our toy boats in the narrow beck that bordered the lane

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

First of all, that's a long flight, and that was my first experience of a lay-flat seat, with the flight attendants at your beck and call. —Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Nov. 2024

Meanwhile, Sylvie texts a suitor under the table, for Sylvie is an icon who has handsome men in every European city at her beck and call. —Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024

But Google and Everyday Robots stressed at the time that a roving butler at one’s beck and call remained far from consumer availability. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2023

Besides working the land, cooking for themselves and their overseers, and being at Jenkins' beck and call, historic preservationist Karen Nance explains that the enslaved people also built the Jenkins home, brick by brick. —Doc Louallen, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bekken, shortened from bekenen "to give a mute signal," with the n perhaps being taken as the infinitive ending — more at beckon

Noun (1)

Middle English becke, bekke "mute signal, signal of command, bow," noun derivative of bekken "to give a mute signal" — more at beck entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English bek, from Old Norse bekkr; akin to Old English bæc brook, Old High German bah, Lithuanian bėgti to flee — more at phobia

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing beck

• at one's beck and call
• at someone's beck and call

Kids Definition

beck

noun

ˈbek

: a beckoning gesture