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

Another red flag to beware of is if the company asks for more information than necessary, like your social security number just to join a mailing list. —Kara Fellows, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2025

International music superstar Celine Dion has issued a warning to fans to beware of fakes. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2025

Apart from showing zero interest in you and being a bore, beware the man whose exes are all allegedly crazy. —Karen Fratti, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025

There are also Lime scooters everywhere, but some roads have potholes, so riders beware. —Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 28 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