noun

beck

BEHK

noun

A small stream or brook, especially in Northern England.

"The path followed the beck down through the valley."

A gesture, such as a nod or wave, used to summon or signal someone (mainly in the phrase "at someone's beck and call").

"The assistant was at her boss's beck and call all week."

How to Use Beck

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a small stream (regional British word) or a nod/signal calling someone over — mostly known today through the fixed phrase "at someone's beck and call."

UK vs US

"Beck" for a stream is a regional British (especially Northern England) term; Americans would just say "stream" or "creek."

Common pairings

at someone's beck and call

Word Forms

becked past tense, becks plural, becks plural, becks plural, Becks plural, becks singular

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The path followed the _____ down through the valley.

Etymology

The stream sense comes from Old English bæc/bece, related to Old Norse bekkr, "a stream" — still common in place names across Northern England. The "beck and call" sense comes from a separate old word meaning a summoning gesture or nod, related to "beckon."

Rhymes for beck

neck keck heck deck peck feck check speck wreck fleck Aleck Breck

See all rhymes for beck →