\ ˈbēt
\
\
beat; beaten\
ˈbē-tᵊn
\ or beat; beating
\ or beat; beating
Definition of beat
(Entry 1 of 4)
1
: to strike repeatedly:
a
: to hit repeatedly so as to inflict pain
He was arrested for beating his wife.
—often used with up … thugs and brutes who beat up their victims without compunction …— J. H. Plumb
b
: to walk on : tread
beat the pavement looking for work
c
: to strike directly against forcefully and repeatedly : dash against
waves beating the shore beat the door with her fists
d
: to flap or thrash at vigorously
a trapped bird beating the air
e
hunting
: to strike at in order to rouse game
beating a hedgerow
also
: to range over in or as if in quest of game
… beat the woods and rouse the bounding prey … — Matthew Prior
f
: to mix by stirring : whip
beat the eggs
—often used with up
g
: to strike repeatedly in order to produce music or a signal
beat a drum
2a
: to drive or force by blows
beat back his attackers
b
: to pound into a powder, paste, or pulp
c
: to make by repeated treading or driving over
beat a path through the woods
d(1)
: to dislodge by repeated hitting
beat dust from the carpet
(2)
: to lodge securely by repeated striking
beat a stake into the ground
e
: to shape by beating
beat swords into plowshares
especially
: to flatten thin by blows
f
: to sound or express especially by drumbeat
beating out a rhythm on the conga
3
: to cause to strike or flap repeatedly
a bird beating its wings
b
: to prevail despite
beat the odds
5a(1)
: to act ahead of usually so as to forestall
I was going to make the suggestion, but she beat me to it.
(2)
journalism
: to report a news item in advance of
beat the other networks
b
: to come or arrive before
I beat him to the finish line.
c
: circumvent
beat the system
d
sports
: to outmaneuver (a defender) and get free
The player attempts to beat the defender and score.
e
sports
: to score against (a goalkeeper)
6
: to produce (music or a signal) by striking something repeatedly : to indicate by beating
beat the tempo
1a
: to become forcefully propelled forward : dash
waves beating against the shore
b
: to glare or strike with oppressive intensity
The sun beat down on us.
c
: to sustain distracting activity
… the turbulence of the Renaissance … beating about his head …— Douglas Stewart
d
: to strike a drum repeatedly : to beat a drum
The drummers kept beating.
b
: to sound upon being struck
the sound of a beating drum
3a
: to strike repeated blows
beating on the door … their air attack still beating upon us …— Sir Winston Churchill
b
: to strike the air : flap
The bird's wings beat frantically.
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
: to progress with much difficulty
beat about the bush
or beat around the bush
beat a retreat
beat it
beat one's brains out
beat the bushes
beat the drum
beat the pants off
beat the rap
beat up on
to beat the band
: to fail or refuse to come to the point in discourse
Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want.
: to leave in haste
: to try intently to resolve something difficult by thinking
I beat my brains out trying to figure it out.
: to search thoroughly through all possible areas
: to proclaim as meritorious or significant : publicize vigorously
beating the drum for their candidate
: to defeat or surpass overwhelmingly
We vowed to beat the pants off them next time.
: to escape or evade the penalties connected with an accusation or charge
: to attack physically or verbally
She was getting beat up on by her critics.
: in a very energetic or forceful manner
talking away to beat the band
beat
noun (1)Definition of beat (Entry 2 of 4)
b
: a sound produced by or as if by beating (see beat entry 1)
dance to the beat of the drums listening to the beat of his heart
c
: a driving impact or force
… the full force of the surf beat …— Joyce Allan … the fierce beat of the eastern sun.— T. B. Costain
2
: one swing of the pendulum or balance (see balance entry 1 sense 9) of a timepiece
3a
: a regularly traversed round (see round entry 3 sense 6a)
a cop patrolling her beat
b
journalism
: a group of news sources that a reporter covers regularly
a reporter on the beat
4a
: a metrical or rhythmic stress in poetry or music or the rhythmic effect of these stresses
four beats per bar keeping a steady beat
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)
music with a Latin beat
also
: rock entry 2 sense 2
5a
: one that excels
I've never seen the beat of it
b
journalism
: the reporting of a news story ahead of competitors
6
: deadbeat
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
9
dance
: an accented stroke (as of one leg or foot against the other)
10
: moment
waited a beat before responding
miss a beat
chiefly US
: to have difficulty in continuing : to stop or hesitate briefly
—often used in negative constructions A few minutes later, the power cuts out …, but Achmed doesn't miss a beat; clearly, he's used to this.— Eric Weiner
beat
adjectiveDefinition of beat (Entry 3 of 4)
1a
: being in a state of exhaustion : exhausted
Sometimes I'd be so beat that I'd flop down and go to sleep fully dressed.— Polly Adler
b
: sapped of resolution or morale
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
beat poets
Definition of beat (Entry 4 of 4)
: beatnik
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Other Words from beat
Verb
beatable
\
ˈbē-tə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Noun (1)
beatless
\
ˈbēt-ləs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for beat
Synonyms: Verb
- bash,
- baste,
- bat,
- batter,
- belabor,
- belt,
- birch,
- bludgeon,
- buffet,
- bung up,
- club,
- curry,
- do,
- drub,
- fib
- [British],
- flog,
- hammer,
- hide,
- lace,
- lambaste
- (or 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
- (or whap),
- whup,
- work over
Synonyms: 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
- (also whap)
Synonyms: Adjective
- all in,
- aweary
- [archaic],
- beaten,
- bleary,
- burned-out
- (or burnt-out),
- bushed,
- dead,
- done,
- drained,
- exhausted,
- fatigued,
- jaded,
- knackered
- [British],
- limp,
- logy
- (also loggy),
- played out,
- pooped
- [slang],
- prostrate,
- spent,
- tapped out,
- tired,
- tuckered (out),
- washed-out,
- wearied,
- weary,
- wiped out,
- worn,
- worn-out
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of beat in a Sentence
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?
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Recent Examples on the Web: 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, "Year after reporter killed in Ukraine, no progress in probe," 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, "Sun Warm To The Task, Pull Away From Stars In Second Half," 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, "Louisville City FC crowd sets attendance record against FC Cincinnati," 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, "Burbank Junior softball claims division championship," 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, "Donald Trump junior’s e-mails," 13 July 2017
There are special awards to male and female runners who beat the farmer.
—
Johnny Gorches, Post-Tribune, "Running notes: Valparaiso's Leeann Wright adds another win to resume," 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, "Giant C-17 Airlifter Does Low Level at the Mach Loop," 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, "American College Graduate Reportedly Beaten to Death in Greece," 11 July 2017
Recent Examples on the Web: 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, "Your Next Car May Be a Living Room on Wheels," 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, "Aberdeen ends softball regular season on 12-game win streak," 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, "One Banana Bread, 3 Ingenious Twists," 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, "Watch this cockatoo make music with a stick," 28 June 2017
Photo transitions happen on the beat, to give it a bit more pop.
—
Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Hands on with Microsoft's Story Remix, the new tool to make your photos pop," 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, "Communist-Ruled Cuba Hosts First Transgender Religious Ceremony," 7 May 2017
Beat in ½ cup sugar gradually, beating until peaks become more stiff.
—
Michelle Stark, Tampa Bay Times, "Five ideas for almonds: Almond cake, almond-herb sauce, almond-crusted fish," 21 Feb. 2017
See MoreThese 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.
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More Definitions for beat
beat
verb
English Language Learners Definition of beat
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to hit (something) repeatedly
: to hit (someone) repeatedly in order to cause pain or injury
: to hit (a drum) repeatedly in order to produce music or a signal
beat
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of beat (Entry 2 of 2)
informal
: very tired
See the full definition for beat in the English Language Learners Dictionary
beat
verb
\ ˈbēt
\
\
beat; beaten\
ˈbē-tᵊn
\ or beat; beating
Kids Definition of beat
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: to hit or strike again and again
beat a drum waves beating the shore
2
: to hit repeatedly in order to cause pain or injury
They beat him with sticks.
—often used with up
Little Dusty froze as the older boys quarreled. He knew Johnny could beat up Dove any time he chose.— Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain
3
: to mix by stirring rapidly
beat eggs
4
: to win against : defeat
beat the enemy
5
: to come, arrive, or act before
I beat him to the finish line.
6
: throb entry 1 sense 3, pulsate
Her heart was still beating.
7
: to flap against
wings beating the air
8
: to move with an up and down motion : flap
The bird beat its wings.
9
: to do or be better than
You can't beat that for fun.
10
: to be beyond the understanding of
It beats me how she does it.
11
: to make by walking or riding over
beat a path
beat it
: to go away quickly
beat
nounKids Definition of beat (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: a blow or a stroke made again and again
2
: a single pulse (as of the heart)
3
: a sound produced by or as if by beating
the beat of drums
the beat of waves against the rock
4
: a measurement of time in music : an accent or regular pattern of accents in music or poetry
5
: an area or place regularly visited or traveled through as part of a job
a police officer's beat
beat
adjectiveKids Definition of beat (Entry 3 of 3)
: very tired
beat
intransitive verb
\ ˈbēt
\
\
beat; beaten\
ˈbēt-ᵊn
\ or beat; beating
\ or beat; beating
beat
nounMedical Definition of beat (Entry 2 of 2)
: a single stroke or pulsation (as of the heart)
ectopic beats
— see extrasystole
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Time Traveler for beat
The first known use of beat was before the 12th century
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