: 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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Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Jonathan and Jordan Knight half-rap over an irritating electronic backbeat like wannabe Beastie Boys.
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Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
All these songs rely on a strong backbeat more than harmonies or guitar solos, for example.
—John Lingan, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2025
Tursi further developed the guitar section with a skippy, carefree vibe while dialing up a new wave-era tone and reverb, with drummer Whit Sellers continuing a relentless backbeat.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025
Their descriptions and accounts have been the backbeat as the franchise moved from Candlestick Park to the shores of McCovey Cove in 2000.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 19 June 2025
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Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
All these songs rely on a strong backbeat more than harmonies or guitar solos, for example.
—John Lingan, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2025
Tursi further developed the guitar section with a skippy, carefree vibe while dialing up a new wave-era tone and reverb, with drummer Whit Sellers continuing a relentless backbeat.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025
Their descriptions and accounts have been the backbeat as the franchise moved from Candlestick Park to the shores of McCovey Cove in 2000.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backbeat
Cite this Entry
“Backbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backbeat. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
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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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