beta
noun
, chiefly British ˈbē-\
Definition of beta
(Entry 1 of 2)
beta
adjectiveDefinition of beta (Entry 2 of 2)
Examples of beta in a Sentence
Noun
a program that is currently in betaRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Both are great sources of vitamins and minerals, particularly antioxidants like beta-carotene. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "Is Butternut Squash Healthy? All the Nutritional Benefits of This Fall Superfood," 3 Sep. 2019 Talley said the tests found Daniels was extremely low in lycene, an amino acid that aids in recovery, and beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, "USC quarterback JT Daniels is ready for a big season after a summer of change," 30 Aug. 2019 And perk up your skin too In addition to their anti-inflammatory antioxidants, peaches have beta carotene and vitamin C to support healthy skin. — Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health.com, "8 Health Benefits of Peaches," 7 Aug. 2019 Studies on humans show, for instance, that popping beta carotene or vitamin E supplements can actually increase mortality. — Marta Zaraska, chicagotribune.com, "Be leery about vegetarian diets for your pets," 10 July 2019 Spinach is exceptionally rich in three carotenoids: beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, "Healthier version of spinach dip is perfect for summer party season," 14 June 2019 When people started to realize that the beta-carotene didn’t necessarily make carrot cake good for you, the dessert faded into nostalgia. — Janelle Bitker, SFChronicle.com, "Carrot cake keeps bakery Sweet Things going for more than 40 years," 30 July 2019 Capitalize on all that moisture with the Jumbo Creme de Corps Bottle with Pump ($78, Value $96), a rich, all-over body moisturizer that draws on the antioxidant beta-carotene to soothe dry or flaking skin. — Alexis Rhiannon, Allure, "You Can Get Jumbo-Sized Kiehl's Products During Nordstrom’s Amazing Anniversary Sale," 12 July 2019 Android devices that support ARCore or iPhones that include ARKit support will be able to access Google Maps Live View in beta this week. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Google Maps AR walking directions arrive on iOS and Android," 8 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
With about 80 calories per large peach, this fruit provides a handful of nutrients including vitamin C, beta carotene and potassium. — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, "Peach-glazed chicken: Easy, one-skillet recipe is done in 30 minutes," 7 July 2019 Apple Apple has opened up its beta testing program today (June 24) to anyone wishing to test out the latest software for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. — Mike Murphy, Quartz, "You can try out iOS 13 now—if you dare," 24 June 2019 The PlayStation version, however, will include early beta access and unique benefits that will be revealed at a future date. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Marvel's Avengers videogame revealed: Watch the trailer," 11 June 2019 Microsoft has restarted the Windows 10 October 2018 Update to members of its Windows Insider beta team. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft restarts Windows 10 October 2018 Update, blaming data loss on misdirected folders," 9 Oct. 2018 More evidence of the stand, which is supposed to be a wireless charger that docks your phone in portrait mode, was found by 9to5Google today hidden within a beta version of the Google app. — Dami Lee, The Verge, "Animation reveals possible Google Pixel wireless charging stand," 21 Sep. 2018 PROTOTYPES Beer and beta testing Visit the Wayfair office for an evening of beta testing beer prototypes provided by beverage delivery app Drizly. — Margeaux Sippell, BostonGlobe.com, "Business agenda," 26 June 2018 But there are also wine betas like my friend Peggy, who are knowledgeable but prefer the beta role. — Lettie Teague, WSJ, "Are You a Wine Alpha or a Wine Beta?," 8 June 2018 This is expressed in a number of ways, most clearly through the existence of more distinct communities of species among the sacred groves than in the control sites (this phenomenon is known as beta diversity). — John Healey, John Halley And Kalliopi Stara, Smithsonian, "Sacred Sites Can Also Be Hotspots of Conservation," 17 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beta.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for beta
beta
nounFinancial Definition of beta
How It Works
A stock's beta is determined by analyzing how much its return fluctuates in relation to the overall market return. A stock with a beta of 1.0 will tend to move higher and lower in lockstep with the overall market. Stocks with a beta greater than 1.0 tend to be more volatile than the market, and those with betas below 1.0 tend to be less volatile than the underlying index. Stocks with betas of zero generally move independently of the broader market. And finally, stocks with negative betas tend to move in the opposite direction relative to the broader market. When the S&P tumbles, stocks with negative betas will move higher, and vice versa.
For example, a stock with a beta of 2.0 is usually twice as volatile as the broader market. If the S&P 500 were to fall by -10% next year, then the stock would be expected to fall about -20% (assuming that the stock behaves similar to how it has in the past). The stock would also be expected to gain more in an up market.
Beta is a measure of systematic risk.
Why It Matters
Beta can help investors choose investments that match their specific risk preferences. A risk-averse investor, for example, may want to avoid overweighting their portfolio with high-beta stocks to avoid excessive volatility.
Individual stock betas are extremely important when putting together a portfolio of assets. A diversified portfolio consisting of assets with different betas lowers the overall risk of the portfolio.
Investors should note that beta is calculated using past price fluctuations and does not ensure that a security will behave the same going forward. Beta is used (most frequently in the Capital Asset Pricing Model, or CAPM) to forecast expected return of a stock or portfolio, not the actual return.
Source: Investing Answers
beta
noun
English Language Learners Definition of beta
See the full definition for beta in the English Language Learners Dictionary
beta
nounMedical Definition of beta
(Entry 1 of 2)
beta
adjectiveMedical Definition of beta (Entry 2 of 2)