Definition

1. Noun:

   • A short, high-pitched electronic sound: A "bleep" is a brief, sharp, high-frequency tone, typically used as a signal, warning, or to censor audio.

2. Verb:

   • To emit a short, high-pitched electronic sound: To "bleep" means to make such a sound, often automatically from a machine or device.
   • To censor audio by replacing it with this sound: To "bleep" also means to obscure a word or sound in a broadcast by covering it with a bleep tone.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The machine let out a loud bleep to indicate the process was complete.
  • The TV station used a bleep to censor the offensive language.

• Verb (to emit a sound):

  • The heart monitor will bleep if the patient's condition changes.
  • My phone bleeps every time I get a new message.

• Verb (to censor):

  • They had to bleep several swear words from the interview before it could air.
  • The controversial line in the song was bleeped out on the radio edit.

Advanced Usage

• "to bleep out": To censor a specific word or sound by replacing it with a bleep.

  • The producers bleeped out the contestant's angry outburst.

• "on bleep" / "on-call bleep" (British English, medical context): Refers to a pager or the state of being on call.

  • The doctor is on bleep tonight for any emergencies.

Variants and Related Words

• Beeper (Noun): Another term for a pager, a device that bleeps to alert the user.

  • Before cell phones, doctors carried beepers.

• Bleeping (Adjective/Adverb, informal/euphemism): Used as a mild, substituted swear word.

  • Where is the bleeping remote control?

Synonyms

• Beep: A very similar short, high sound. ("Beep" can sometimes imply a slightly lower pitch or different context, like a car horn.)
• Tone: A sound of a definite pitch, which can be more general.
• Signal: A sound conveying information, which a bleep often is.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Bleep out: To censor with a bleep sound.
  • The station bleeped out all the names for privacy.

Related Idioms

• (Someone/something) is on the bleep (UK, informal): Someone is very busy or active, often in a frantic way. (Derived from the constant sound of pagers/bleepers).
  • The emergency department is on the bleep tonight.

Noun

1. a short high tone produced as a signal or warning

Verb

1. emit a single short high-pitched signal
   • The computer bleeped away