beep

1 of 2

verb

ˈbēp 

beeped; beeping; beeps

transitive verb

1

: to cause to sound

beep a horn

2

: to send a message to (someone) with a beeper

Dr. Khoury was beeped to perform an emergency operation at American University Hospital.

—Scot Macleod

intransitive verb

1

: to sound a horn

2

: to make a beep

beep

2 of 2

noun

: a short usually high-pitched sound (as from a horn or an electronic device) that serves as a signal or warning

Examples of beep in a Sentence

Verb

Why did you beep your horn at her?

She beeped at me first.

Something is beeping in the kitchen.

I could hear a beeping noise.

Noun

the beep of a car horn

Please leave a message after the beep.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Every piece of equipment, every bed and every beeping machine needs to be anchored to the floor and the staff must take extra care when working on the patients. —Alex Platt, CNN, 12 Sep. 2024

For the last two weeks, White and his neighbors have heard frequent honking at any and all hours coming from the Waymo lot, often waking him in the middle of the night as the cars beep at each other — a seemingly worthless alert as one unmanned vehicle honks at another. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2024

Noun

The Rise of the Satellite Era The satellite era began with a historic beep on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024

The whole place seemed to vibrate with a mechanical thrum, punctuated by clicks and beeps. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

from beep-beep, imitative of the sound of a horn, or verbal derivative of beep entry 2

Noun

earlier beep-beep, imitative of the sound of a horn

First Known Use

Verb

1933, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1943, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

beep

noun

ˈbēp

: a sound that signals or warns

beep verb