beat 1 of 3

Definition of beatnext
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as in to throb
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beat

2 of 3

noun

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as in pulse
a rhythmic expanding and contracting a single beat of the heart is said to be all that separates the vice president from the presidency

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in rhythm
the recurrent pattern formed by a series of sounds having a regular rise and fall in intensity moved to the beat of the music

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beat

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adjective

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of beat
Verb
Rookie center Maxime Raynaud had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings (16-50), who have won back-to-back games after beating the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. March 10, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026 The Vandals beat the Eagles twice, including in the regular-season finale to end EWU's eight-game winning streak. ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
Play Me feels like punk rock, even in its industrial-strength beats. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2026 Frequent collaborators like Popstar Benny and Alexander Spit provide the soundscape, and Sideshow chooses their most peculiar beats—the anxious ones that most resemble audio equipment thrown down a flight of stairs. Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Past that, the Xavier school looks pretty beat to hell in the scenes before that. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 6 Jan. 2026 This recipe brings together meat and vegetables in a can't-be-beat cold-weather go-to. Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Verb
  • The dog ignored him, and licked the boy’s face.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
  • At Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, the oldest carving factory in America, a team of former archaeologists and butchers creates ephemeral art designed to be licked, touched, and eventually, lost.
    Blair Braverman, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Luka Doncic scored 44 points despite not playing the fourth quarter, and the Lakers defeated the struggling Indiana Pacers 128-117 on Friday night with LeBron James and Deandre Ayton out because of injury.
    Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Birdville defeated Heritage 77-71 in the state semifinals last season before falling in the state title game to Beaumont West Brook in overtime.
    Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But its momentum has slowed over the past decade, exacerbated by stringent pandemic controls, while regional rival India has surpassed it as the fastest-growing major economy.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
  • In February, the company’s exports surpassed its domestic sales for the first time, according to CNBC’s calculations.
    Matthew Chin,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The light bled red at Sixty-Seventh and Pacific, music throbbing through the speakers as Olivia Borsutzki relaxed her foot from the brake.
    Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
  • My boredom typically spurs feelings of frustration, guilt, shame—and long nutritionless spells of goggling, slack-jawed, at celebrity news on my phone while the world throbs around me.
    Daniel Smith, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Our bodies go about their business, but our deeper selves flutter, like those blind moths, into that dim waiting room and linger until some inscrutable opening is granted us to start living again.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Dollar bills flutter around his feet.
    Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Californians are increasingly aware of this imbalance and frustrated about it.
    Jerry McNerney, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • There’s resistance to filmmakers coming in and telling the story of bears dying from climate change, and this trope that Inuit are frustrated by, and rightfully so.
    Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Additionally, the Hudson Farmers' Market draws local growers and makers with fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, and flowers on Saturdays from spring to fall.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Reneau drew foul after foul and made 13 of 14 free throws in the second half.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • This hunch was borne out when the astronomers found that, even though the globular clusters were languishing in an empty stretch of Perseus, they were surrounded by a halo of glowing matter — a telltale sign of a galaxy.
    Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Ahead, shop our favorite bronzers for mature skin that deliver warmth, depth, and glow.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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