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beat; beaten
ˈbē-tᵊn 
or beat; beating; beats
or beat; beating; beats
3
b
: to strike the air : flap
c
hunting
: to strike bushes or other cover in order to rouse game
also
: to range or scour for or as if for game
4
b
music
: the tempo indicated (as by a conductor) to a musical performer
c
music
: the pronounced rhythm (see rhythm sense 2b) that is the characteristic driving force in some types of music (such as jazz or rock)
also
: rock entry 2 sense 2
7
nautical
a
: an act of sailing toward the side or direction from which the wind is blowing by a series of zigzag movements : an act of beating (see beat entry 1 sense intransitive 5) to windward
b
: one of the reaches (see reach entry 2 sense 1) in the zigzag course so traversed : tack
8
physics
: each of the pulsations of amplitude (see amplitude sense 1a) produced by the union of sound or radio waves or electric currents having different frequencies
2
often capitalized
[earliest in beat generation; perhaps in part by association with beat entry 2 in sense "pronounced rhythm" or -beat in deadbeat entry 1]
: of, relating to, or being beatniks
Phrases
beat about the bush
or beat around the bush
: to leave in haste
: to search thoroughly through all possible areas
: to proclaim as meritorious or significant : publicize vigorously
: to escape or evade the penalties connected with an accusation or charge
Synonyms
Verb
- bash
- baste
- bat
- batter
- belabor
- belt
- birch
- bludgeon
- buffet
- bung up
- club
- curry
- do
- drub
- fib [British]
- flog
- hammer
- hide
- lace
- lambaste
- lambast
- lash
- lather
- lick
- maul
- mess (up)
- paddle
- pelt
- pommel
- pound
- pummel
- punch out
- rough (up)
- slate
- slog
- switch
- tan
- thrash
- thresh
- thump
- tromp
- wallop
- whale
- whip
- whop
- whap
- whup
- work over
Noun (1)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Adjective
Example Sentences
Verb
He beat the dust out of the rug with a stick.
She used a hammer to beat the metal into shape.
She used a hammer to beat the nail into the wall.
The dented metal was beaten flat.
The waves were beating the shore.
He beat at the door with his fists.
The waves were beating on the shore.
The rain beat on the roof.
They beat him with clubs.
a man accused of beating his wife
Adjective
Let me sit down. I'm absolutely beat!
can we pick this up tomorrow, because I'm beat?
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Dmytro Vlasov, The Seattle Times, 20 July 2017
The Sun are one of the league's best teams, with one of its most exciting young cores, and beating the Stars was something most everyone expected them to do.
John Altavilla, courant.com, 16 July 2017
Saturday's attendance beat out Louisville City's previous season-high of 9,074 fans reached against Tampa Bay in April.
Danielle Lerner, The Courier-Journal, 15 July 2017
Freed was able to spring to her feet and just beat the runner to third for the final out of the game.
Jeff Tully, Burbank Leader, 13 July 2017
Mr Putin was defiant over the outcome of the Magnitsky case, in which a lawyer who was beaten to death in prison was posthumously charged with tax fraud.
The Economist, 13 July 2017
There are special awards to male and female runners who beat the farmer.
Johnny Gorches, Post-Tribune, 12 July 2017
The C-17 is probably the largest military airplane to have gone through the loop: the Airbus A400M Atlas transport beat it by six months, but the C-17 is nearly thirty feet longer.
Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 July 2017
NPR reported that at least 10 people participated in beating Bakari in a brawl outside the Greece bar, and now eight of them have been arrested and two charged with murder.
Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, 11 July 2017
Chester Dawson, WSJ, 19 June 2017
Hawks beat Huskies North Harford (4-13) beat visiting Patterson Mill, 16-6, Thursday in non-division play.
Randy Mcroberts, The Aegis, 8 May 2017
Beat eggs with a fork, then stir all ingredients to combine (the mixture will be thick, like a wet ball of sand—don't worry).
Redbook, 6 Apr. 2017
Much like music created by human drummers, the cockatoos’ beats remain consistent over time and are individually recognizable.
Andrew Wagner, Science | AAAS, 28 June 2017
Photo transitions happen on the beat, to give it a bit more pop.
Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 15 May 2017
Rainbow flags decorated the chapel, while the pastors, who had flown in from Brazil, Canada and the United States, wore stoles in the trans hues of light blue, pink and white and the congregation swayed to Caribbean beats.
NBC News, 7 May 2017
Beat in ½ cup sugar gradually, beating until peaks become more stiff.
Michelle Stark, Tampa Bay Times, 21 Feb. 2017
See More
Verb
Most recently, reporter Volodymyr Volovodyuk, who had investigated black-market trading in the central Vinnytsia region, was beaten to death June 12.
Dmytro Vlasov, The Seattle Times, 20 July 2017
The Sun are one of the league's best teams, with one of its most exciting young cores, and beating the Stars was something most everyone expected them to do.
John Altavilla, courant.com, 16 July 2017
Saturday's attendance beat out Louisville City's previous season-high of 9,074 fans reached against Tampa Bay in April.
Danielle Lerner, The Courier-Journal, 15 July 2017
Freed was able to spring to her feet and just beat the runner to third for the final out of the game.
Jeff Tully, Burbank Leader, 13 July 2017
Mr Putin was defiant over the outcome of the Magnitsky case, in which a lawyer who was beaten to death in prison was posthumously charged with tax fraud.
The Economist, 13 July 2017
There are special awards to male and female runners who beat the farmer.
Johnny Gorches, Post-Tribune, 12 July 2017
The C-17 is probably the largest military airplane to have gone through the loop: the Airbus A400M Atlas transport beat it by six months, but the C-17 is nearly thirty feet longer.
Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 July 2017
NPR reported that at least 10 people participated in beating Bakari in a brawl outside the Greece bar, and now eight of them have been arrested and two charged with murder.
Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, 11 July 2017
Noun
Lounge mode offers an LCD-like screen on the ceiling that can show images while music plays on a multispeaker audio system and LED lights on the floor pulsate and flash to the beat.
Chester Dawson, WSJ, 19 June 2017
Hawks beat Huskies North Harford (4-13) beat visiting Patterson Mill, 16-6, Thursday in non-division play.
Randy Mcroberts, The Aegis, 8 May 2017
Beat eggs with a fork, then stir all ingredients to combine (the mixture will be thick, like a wet ball of sand—don't worry).
Redbook, 6 Apr. 2017
Much like music created by human drummers, the cockatoos’ beats remain consistent over time and are individually recognizable.
Andrew Wagner, Science | AAAS, 28 June 2017
Photo transitions happen on the beat, to give it a bit more pop.
Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 15 May 2017
Rainbow flags decorated the chapel, while the pastors, who had flown in from Brazil, Canada and the United States, wore stoles in the trans hues of light blue, pink and white and the congregation swayed to Caribbean beats.
NBC News, 7 May 2017
Beat in ½ cup sugar gradually, beating until peaks become more stiff.
Michelle Stark, Tampa Bay Times, 21 Feb. 2017
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English beten, from Old English bēatan; akin to Old High German bōzan to beat
Noun (1)
noun derivative of beat entry 1
Adjective
from past participle of beat entry 1
Noun (2)
from beat entry 3 in beat generation, or by shortening of beatnik
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (1)
circa 1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun (2)
1957, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of beat was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing beat
Dictionary Entries Near beat
Cite this Entry
“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.
Kids Definition
beat; beaten
ˈbēt-ᵊn
or beat; beating
or beat; beating
beat about the bush
or beat around the bush
beat a retreat
beat it
beat up on
: to fail to get to the point
: to leave in haste
: to hurry away : scram
beater
noun
2
a
: a rhythmic stress in poetry or music
b
: the tempo given to a musical performer
c
Medical Definition
: a single stroke or pulsation (as of the heart)
see extrasystole
More from Merriam-Webster on beat
Nglish: Translation of beat for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of beat for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beat
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