beware

verb

be·​ware bi-ˈwer 

bē-

intransitive verb

: to be on one's guard

beware of the dog

transitive verb

1

: to take care of

beware your wallet

2

: to be wary of

we must … beware the exceedingly tenuous generalization

—Matthew Lipman

Synonyms

• guard (against)
• look out (for)
• mind
• ware
• watch out (for)

Examples of beware in a Sentence

A ghostly voice cried “Beware!”.

He told them to beware.

The restaurant's food is excellent, but beware the chili if you don't like spicy food.

Recent Examples on the Web

Horry County Fire Rescue, the fire agency with local jurisdiction, said residents should beware of low visibility caused by smoke through Tuesday morning. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2025

But fans of papal politics, beware: The BAFTAs and SAG Awards haven't been very good at predicting Best Picture historically. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025

Billy denies it, so Xavier wonders why Cal was warning people to beware of him. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 Feb. 2025

Subscribe now If Esperanza’s girls basketball team is healthy and shooting well, beware. —Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English been war, from been "to be" + war "cognizant, ware entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for beware

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare
• cookware

Kids Definition

beware

verb

be·​ware bi-ˈwa(ə)r 

-ˈwe(ə)r

1

: to be on one's guard

beware of the dog

2

: to be suspicious of

beware the quick excuse