beating

noun

beat·​ing ˈbē-tiŋ 

1

: an act of striking with repeated blows so as to injure or damage

also : the injury or damage thus inflicted

2

: pulsation

3

: defeat, setback

Synonyms of beating

• pulse
• throb
• beat

Examples of beating in a Sentence

he wears a pacemaker to help maintain a regular beating of his heart

took a beating and ended up in second place

Recent Examples on the Web

Leads, essentially wires, run from the device into the heart, sending one-volt pulses of electricity to regulate the heart’s beating. —Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026

Hikers found her body, which showed evidence of beating and strangulation, on Thanksgiving Day of that year. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026

Examples of petty beatings also abound, like footage from December showing two guys in Leeds, UK tossing a delivery robot into a bush, or video of one bot cracked open and left for dead on a Los Angeles sidewalk. —Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 2 Apr. 2026

The beating occurred during a wildcat strike by many officers that forced the governor to send in National Guard members to help keep order. —ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English betynge, from gerund of beten "to beat entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beating

• beating reed
• breast-beating
• take a beating
• take some beating
• world-beating

Rhymes for beating

• bleating
• cheating
• eating
• fleeting
• greeting
• heating
• meeting
• seating
• sheeting
• sweeting
• treating
• accreting