beating

noun

beat·​ing ˈbē-tiŋ How to pronounce beating (audio)
1
: an act of striking with repeated blows so as to injure or damage
also : the injury or damage thus inflicted
2
3

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a 31-14 beating of Dallas two weeks ago, Williams was not sacked for the first time in his career. Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025 You weren’t allowed to paint your culture, you weren’t allowed to dance, you weren’t allowed to cook your food, do your drum beating, any of that. Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025 Much of modern investing discourse is chest-beating. Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025 As the minutes tick by, and the beating continues, Brooks becomes increasingly bloodied and unresponsive. Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beating

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of beating was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beating. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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