Synonyms of beat
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as in to lick 
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as in to defeat
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as in to surpass
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as in to throb
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as in to flutter
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as in to frustrate
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as in to draw
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as in to glow
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as in to drum
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as in to confuse
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as in to circumvent
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as in to grind
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as in to cheat
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as in blow
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as in pulse
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as in rhythm
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as in minute
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as in tired
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to defeat
to achieve a victory over
she always beats everyone at checkers, but she's not as good at chess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to surpass
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this new animated feature sure beats everything else that's ever been done in animation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in to flutter
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
the bird's wings beat strongly as it soared in the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
9
as in to drum
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in to circumvent
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
he spends all of his time trying to beat the system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
13
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the screenwriter has filed a lawsuit, accusing the production company of beating him out of his share of the film's net profits
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered one hard beat on the drums
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
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
3
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
4
as in minute
a very small space of time
within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tired
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
can we pick this up tomorrow, because I'm beat?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of beat
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hadid appears beat up with a gash on her arm, dirt on her face, and smeared black eye makeup.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026
Rachel Keidan, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Despite right guard Tellek Lockette taking a redshirt, the unit didn’t miss a beat with Justin DeLeon proving an adequate replacement.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2025
Here are observations from The Post’s beat reporters on hand for practice, broken up into the Broncos offense, defense and miscellaneous.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat
Verb
Through it all, nobody has come close to beating her.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hadid appears beat up with a gash on her arm, dirt on her face, and smeared black eye makeup.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026
Noun
Semafor will add to its growing team of beat-defining journalists in Washington, DC, Wall Street, Silicon Valley as well as politics, global business, finance, and economics in order to fuel this acceleration.
—Rachel Keidan, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Despite right guard Tellek Lockette taking a redshirt, the unit didn’t miss a beat with Justin DeLeon proving an adequate replacement.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Tory Burch leaned into a quirky, off-beat palette that felt fresh and full of personality.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2025
Here are observations from The Post’s beat reporters on hand for practice, broken up into the Broncos offense, defense and miscellaneous.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Verb
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The sketch concluded with the librarian licking Moynihan's face with a forked tongue and then unbuttoning her blouse — causing all of the boys' heads to explode.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
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The first is Christopher Walken as Gabriel, a mean-spirited angel who sniffs and licks crime scenes and inspects children’s teeth for reasons that sort of make sense within the movie.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pelosi retires and Dems begin generational civil war Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced her retirement yesterday as a new generation of much younger Democrats bridles against the elderly cadre under former President Biden, 82, who led them to defeat in the last presidential election.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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He and Democrat Rebecca Cooke may be headed for a rematch in 2026, after Van Orden defeated Cooke in 2024.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Testing reveals an average power exceeding 200 kW in optimal steady-state conditions, surpassing the energy requirements for heavy-duty vehicles.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Since then, the agency has reported record recruitment figures, surpassing its fiscal 2025 goal by hiring just over 2,000 new controllers.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ones where the monster, their creator, or both are possessed by throbbing, animalistic lust.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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Their throbbing dance videos are shot in mansions and on yachts.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The president’s guests — which included top members of his administration, MAGA allies and big-time political donors — noshed on hors d’oeuvres and downed exotic cocktails while jazz music blared and burlesque dancers fluttered their fans.—
Garrett Haake,
NBC news,
3 Nov. 2025
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The all-new Elevance Concept SUV isn't as immediately lovable as the classic Delica Chamonix 4x4 vans that still make our hearts flutter generations later.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Games that are too easy bore older players, while overly complex games can frustrate younger ones.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Popular Science,
8 Jan. 2026
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But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since the start of the season, Arsenal have played 17 matches in total, winning 14, drawing twice, and losing just once, by an aggregate score of 35-5.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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He was drawn to the kinds of exotic materials favored by the Japanese—among them, rare stones such as color-changing alexandrites and blue-green Paraíba tourmalines—as opposed to, say, emeralds, a staple of the Indian-jewelry repertoire.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The 20th Century and Disney pic is coming well ahead of expectations, thanks to glowing reviews and equally growing audience reaction.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
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At that point, out of the vast and silent ether, messages will come glowing into your inbox one after another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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