: a steady pronounced rhythm stressing the second and fourth beats of a four-beat measure
Examples of backbeat in a Sentence
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Point spreads and moneylines ran constantly through my head, mingling with the omnipresent Christmas carols to create a strange backbeat to the holiday season.
—
Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
In testing, the ominous backbeat drove the track, while the screeching riffs and vocals stood against it.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
By adding an unrelenting backbeat, punching up the guitars and horns and funkifying the drums, the electronic overhaul transformed a throwaway tune recorded for a minor Presley movie into a 21st century global smash, catching fire in dance clubs and reaching No. 1 in over 20 countries.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Working with longtime partner bassist Robbie Shakespeare (who died in 2021), Dunbar was one half of the dynamic duo that provided the thrumming backbeat to reggae classics from the likes of Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs and countless others.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
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Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
In testing, the ominous backbeat drove the track, while the screeching riffs and vocals stood against it.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
By adding an unrelenting backbeat, punching up the guitars and horns and funkifying the drums, the electronic overhaul transformed a throwaway tune recorded for a minor Presley movie into a 21st century global smash, catching fire in dance clubs and reaching No. 1 in over 20 countries.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Working with longtime partner bassist Robbie Shakespeare (who died in 2021), Dunbar was one half of the dynamic duo that provided the thrumming backbeat to reggae classics from the likes of Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs and countless others.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backbeat
Cite this Entry
“Backbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backbeat. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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backbeat
noun
back·beat
-ˌbēt 
: a steady pronounced rhythm stressing the second and fourth beats of a four-beat measure
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