beep
a short sound
TRANSLATION
beep = der Piepton, der Signalton --- GOOGLE INDEX beep: approximately 7,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
You're reclining on the beach admiring the surf when your phone goes BEEP. You've got mail.
(BBC News)
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Goal-line technology (a BEEP sounding when the whole of the ball crosses the line) was used for the first time in history on day four of the World Cup in the France versus Honduras match.
(New Orleans Advocate)
(BBC News)
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Goal-line technology (a BEEP sounding when the whole of the ball crosses the line) was used for the first time in history on day four of the World Cup in the France versus Honduras match.
(New Orleans Advocate)
Did you
know?
beep
noun
- a short, loud sound
verb
- to make a short, loud sound
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
As the BBC points out in an article about "beeps," the word "beep" is not very old. The onomatopoeic expression of "beep-beep" for a car horn only goes back to 1929, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. And the use of "beep" in the sense of a short, high-pitched sound is first recorded in an Arthur C Clarke science-fiction story in 1951.
While the word itself may be relatively new, beeps have become pervasive in modern life. They used to be an indication that something important was happening. Nowadays, smartphones beep when a new e-mail has arrived or the refrigerator beeps if the door has not been completely closed; not exactly life-shattering events.
Beeps may be annoying to many, but for the visually impaired they can be vital. The sounds made by cash machines for instance - pin entry and card and cash return - were essential for the blind, not to mention the audio signals sent out at cross walks.
Some places like airports have responded to public complaints about noise and are trying to do something to reduce alarms and announcements. At least for the time being though, it's safe to assume that the "beep" is here to stay.
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SYNONYMS
alarm, bell sound, bleep, ding, signal, tone, warning
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Please leave a message after the beep."
noun
- a short, loud sound
verb
- to make a short, loud sound
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
As the BBC points out in an article about "beeps," the word "beep" is not very old. The onomatopoeic expression of "beep-beep" for a car horn only goes back to 1929, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. And the use of "beep" in the sense of a short, high-pitched sound is first recorded in an Arthur C Clarke science-fiction story in 1951.
While the word itself may be relatively new, beeps have become pervasive in modern life. They used to be an indication that something important was happening. Nowadays, smartphones beep when a new e-mail has arrived or the refrigerator beeps if the door has not been completely closed; not exactly life-shattering events.
Beeps may be annoying to many, but for the visually impaired they can be vital. The sounds made by cash machines for instance - pin entry and card and cash return - were essential for the blind, not to mention the audio signals sent out at cross walks.
Some places like airports have responded to public complaints about noise and are trying to do something to reduce alarms and announcements. At least for the time being though, it's safe to assume that the "beep" is here to stay.
---
SYNONYMS
alarm, bell sound, bleep, ding, signal, tone, warning
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Please leave a message after the beep."
