beat 1 of 5

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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 5

noun

1
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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

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

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beat

3 of 5

adjective (1)

beaten

5 of 5

verb (2)

variants or beat
past participle of beat
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as in pulsed
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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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
Without Adams and Sliwa dropping out, Cuomo has little shot to beat Mamdani. Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2025 Nothing beats a flattering linen dress for the summer. Isis Briones, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2025
Noun
Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s double to right rolled all the way to the warning track, and the throw beat Spencer Horwitz at the plate, but Twins catcher Christian Vasquez could not field the ball cleanly. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 July 2025 For Rihanna’s 3rd Annual Diamond Ball in 2017, Lil’ Kim continued the matte beauty beat trend, pairing it with finger wave-like curls, seconded by her 2019 BET Awards look. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 11 July 2025
Adjective
Rivera climbed into Feliz’s car; threatened, beat, and tased him, and then shot him in the chest point blank. Lourdes Rosado, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025 While anyone can enjoy listening to albums or 45s on the go, KORG also includes a wide range of features aimed at DJs, including playback speed adjustment, a beat looper (which gives the ability to layer scratches over a beat loop), filters, a fader and delay effects. Brad Moon, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Remove and discard plastic wrap from rolls, and gently brush tops of rolls with some of the beaten egg. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023 Chee mashes the kernels with beaten egg, salt and a flourish of sugar that brings the flavor into focus but leaves no trace of sweetness. Ligaya Mishan Esther Choi, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2022
Verb
The man had been severely beaten with a baseball bat and was suffering from injuries to his face and arm, federal authorities said. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025 If Liverpool beat Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday, the Carabao Cup will be Slot’s first trophy since replacing Jurgen Klopp nine months ago. Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Noun
  • The title bout bore out as a chess match, as the ISL school traded blows with one of the top MIAA teams from the South Shore.
    Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 19 July 2025
  • Smith shoved the gun in the guy’s gut, took the blow, then left.
    John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2025
Noun
  • Court documents say Sarah had no pulse but was warm to the touch, and was lying naked on the floor in the couple's bedroom.
    Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 24 July 2025
  • When Louisville police officers arrived, prosecutors said, Florian had no pulse and was lying in front of the SUV without shoes.
    Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • The song fuses the best of two worlds, including Reik’s unmistakable Latin pop ballad with R&B touches and the folk and urban rhythms that distinguish the Mexican-American singer-songwriter.
    Luisa Calle, Billboard, 18 July 2025
  • Clearly, the league will want to get into a rhythm where all the deals start and end at basically the same time, so what comes out of what ESPN carried seems to favor a short-term deal.
    Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
Noun
  • You’re asked to meet with senior leadership for the very first time—in five minutes.
    Michele Moreno, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Follow that with a dip in the sea at Lia beach—a four minute walk away—or book a pottery class through one of the hotel’s artisan partners.
    Monica Mendal, Vogue, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson give this team just enough thump to be dangerous.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • The team pulled off a shocking blockbuster by landing franchise slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox, immediately filling its need for some left-handed thump in the batting order.
    Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Yet no lawyer had previously brought up the rapes and beatings that Bell witnessed during his stay at Dozier, Brown and Martin said.
    The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
  • In Chicago, the closest parallel to the racial attacks in 1980s New York was the 1997 Bridgeport attack on Lenard Clark, a Black 13-year-old, by a group of teenagers including Frank Caruso Jr., who was convicted of the beating but ultimately forced to serve only two years of an eight-year sentence.
    Robert Chiarito, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.
    Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 July 2025
  • For organizations at the formative stages of their cyber resilience journeys, meeting once a month and then gradually reducing the cadence as the function matures can be effective.
    Phillimon Zongo, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities.
    American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 13 July 2025
  • Intimacy is the heartbeat of a thriving relationship.
    Chamin Ajjan, CNBC, 12 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 28 Jul. 2025.

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