Library / English Dictionary

BEAU

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: beaux   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A man who is the lover of a man or woman

Example:

When the law changed, Pet could finally married his long-time boyfriend Jim

Synonyms:

beau; boyfriend; fellow; swain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("beau" is a kind of...):

lover (a person who loves someone or is loved by someone)

adult male; man (an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance

Synonyms:

beau; clotheshorse; dandy; dude; fashion plate; fop; gallant; sheik; swell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("beau" is a kind of...):

adult male; man (an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "beau"):

cockscomb; coxcomb (a conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own accomplishments)

macaroni (a British dandy in the 18th century who affected Continental mannerisms)

Instance hyponyms:

Beau Brummell; Brummell; George Bryan Brummell (English dandy who was a fashion leader during the Regency (1778-1840))

Credits

 Context examples: 

The Doctor is no beau of mine.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

"Lord! Anne," cried her sister, "you can talk of nothing but beaux;—you will make Miss Dashwood believe you think of nothing else."

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

But perhaps you young ladies may not care about the beaux, and had as lief be without them as with them.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

And had you a great many smart beaux there?

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

I suppose your brother was quite a beau, Miss Dashwood, before he married, as he was so rich?

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Oh! dear! one never thinks of married men's being beaux—they have something else to do.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

But this I can say, that if he ever was a beau before he married, he is one still for there is not the smallest alteration in him.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

But this conciliation was not granted; for though she often threw out expressions of pity for her sister to Elinor, and more than once dropt a reflection on the inconstancy of beaux before Marianne, no effect was produced, but a look of indifference from the former, or of disgust in the latter.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

'Twill be a fine thing to have her married so young to be sure, said she, and I hear he is quite a beau, and prodigious handsome. And I hope you may have as good luck yourself soon,—but perhaps you may have a friend in the corner already.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

I'm sure there's a vast many smart beaux in Exeter; but you know, how could I tell what smart beaux there might be about Norland; and I was only afraid the Miss Dashwoods might find it dull at Barton, if they had not so many as they used to have.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)