Synonyms of beat
-
as in to lick 
-
as in to defeat
-
as in to surpass
-
as in to throb
-
as in to flutter
-
as in to frustrate
-
as in to draw
-
as in to glow
-
as in to drum
-
as in to confuse
-
as in to circumvent
-
as in to grind
-
as in to cheat
-
as in battered
-
as in gotten
-
as in surpassed
-
as in pulsed
-
as in fluttered
-
as in baffled
-
as in forged
-
as in burnt
-
as in drummed
-
as in puzzled
-
as in escaped
-
as in pounded
-
as in cheated
-
as in blow
-
as in pulse
-
as in rhythm
-
as in minute
-
as in tired
-
as in exhausted
-
Example Sentences
-
Phrases Containing
-
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
as in exhausted
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
felt beaten after three months of 90-hour workweeks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or beat
1
as in battered
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in gotten
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 surpassed
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
as in pulsed
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in fluttered
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 baffled
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in forged
to shape with a hammer
the medieval artisans who beat iron into exquisite swords
Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in burnt
to shine with a bright harsh light
the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in drummed
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in escaped
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
as in pounded
to reduce to fine particles
years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust
Synonyms & Similar Words
13
as in cheated
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
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
Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Second, don’t beat yourself up about it.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 1 Oct. 2025
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Sylvester climbed in back, buds in his ears, iPod in hand, his head bobbing to some beat.
—David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
In a miracle from the beat gods, workers on site were able to clear out the piles of debris and construct a new stage to host the fest’s headliners overnight, giving Nervo, Axwell, Martin Garrix, Alok and others a place to perform on night one.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 July 2025
The Editors, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024
Dredge the egg whites: Take each egg white half and dredge it in flour, gently shaking off the excess before dipping it in the beaten egg.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2023
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Denver defensive lineman Zach Allen beat left guard Zion Johnson.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat
Verb
Evaluating performance in games such as Go is straightforward; AI was beating Go masters by 2016.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Second, don’t beat yourself up about it.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
Security finally realized what was going on and apprehended the trespassing fan while Ne-Yo didn’t miss a beat of his performance.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Sylvester climbed in back, buds in his ears, iPod in hand, his head bobbing to some beat.
—David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Those submissions—we’ve received thousands since this list first launched—are then analyzed and supplemented by reporting from beat journalists at Forbes and Know Your Value.
—Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
In a miracle from the beat gods, workers on site were able to clear out the piles of debris and construct a new stage to host the fest’s headliners overnight, giving Nervo, Axwell, Martin Garrix, Alok and others a place to perform on night one.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 July 2025
Adjective
Score the puff pastry lightly in a diagonal pattern with a sharp knife or box cutter, then brush it with the beaten egg.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024
Dredge the egg whites: Take each egg white half and dredge it in flour, gently shaking off the excess before dipping it in the beaten egg.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2023
Verb
Mamdani has a healthy lead in every poll, though, and has already beaten Cuomo badly once this year.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Denver defensive lineman Zach Allen beat left guard Zion Johnson.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Noun
-
The Ravens have gotten off to a 1-3 start in a season for the first time since 2015, delivering an early blow to the team’s Super Bowl ambitions.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Then came the biggest blow with Gavi’s torn meniscus.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Layered with live jazz and pounding percussion from experimental duo Robin Schulkowsky and Joey Baron, the result gave Hedda an extra pulse.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Anyway, the Uli tribe finally was able to read their note about the Journey, and Jawan was picked as the one to go, while Jake went for Kele and Matt won a pulse-racing game of RPS against MC to punch his ticket for Hina.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But Allar’s lack of rhythm in his drops affected his ball placement, which sabotaged several drives.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
-
In lieu of a musical score, their dramatic rhythms shape each scene, resulting in simmering tensions that emerge gradually and organically, as Nourou and Maja refuse to acknowledge the personal and professional grievances that prevent them from forging a lasting love.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On festival days, shuttles will begin service approximately 60 minutes prior to the gate opening time.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
In the final minute of regulation, a huge catch and run gave Dallas a 28-yard touchdown and the lead with 43 seconds remaining.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The dramatic thump of the ship’s four electromagnetic catapults which shoot them into the sky is constant and can be heard throughout the ship.—
Matthew Bodner,
NBC news,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The Red Sox are in a good spot for their future, but their lineup clearly needs more thump.—
Tim Crowley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Connor Jarnagan, who was attacked in December 2022, said an officer told him his beating was the fifth one at In-N-Out that month involving brass knuckles.—
Robert Anglen,
AZCentral.com,
24 Sep. 2025
-
These intimidation tactics were heavily deployed during different waves of racial justice riots throughout American history, such as the uprisings over Rodney King’s beating in 1991 and George Floyd’s death in 2020.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Companies such as OpenAI, ElevenLabs, and Hume AI, for example, are building text-to-voice models that can whisper, laugh, and affect a broad range of emotional cadences.—
Webb Wright,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Fans will always be notified more than 48 hours before their purchasing window opens, but the cadence will vary, FIFA told The Athletic; there will not be new time slots, nor new batches of emails, every single day.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Barkov is the heartbeat of the team, their top-line center, a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy given annually to the league’s top defensive forward, a tireless worker, one of the main players who exemplifies the way the Panthers play under Maurice.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
-
At the hospital, Harrison and Johnson were told once again that their fetus still had a heartbeat and there was nothing the hospital could do because of its Catholic affiliation.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share