1
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in defeats
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 surpasses
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 throbs
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in flutters
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 frustrates
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
as in glows
to shine with a bright harsh light
the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in drums
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in confuses
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in circumvents
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 grinds
to reduce to fine particles
years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust
Synonyms & Similar Words
13
as in plucks
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 thumps
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 pulses
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 rhythms
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 heartbeats
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of beats
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Yes, Meursault is a bit toxic with his indifference, then one beats his wife, the other beats his dog.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
Nothing beats mom’s cooking, according to one man, at least.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Nvidia beats on top and bottom lines.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
That beats a previous low of -10 recorded a month ago on July 25, and is down from -6 this time last week.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
With Mohammed Kudus being a ball-to-feet winger who beats defenders and crosses dangerous balls into the box, Johnson’s tendency to move off the ball and attack the far post has and will lead to goals this season.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Nothing beats a fun day swimming in one of Arizona's many lakes.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Music supervisor Matt Biffa relishes more than a few needle drops catered to scandalous character beats that only enrich this viewing experience.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
Apple has developed an algorithm that analyzes how blood vessels respond to beats of the heart using the Watch's optical heart sensor.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
The beats are always really intense.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Samirah, the central performer, entrances Billie—her lyrics punching over vibrating beats, her voice gritty and sultry.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
With a keen interest in all things science, Srishti is particularly drawn to beats covering medicine, sustainable architecture, gene studies, and bioengineering.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
The song co-written by Gaga with Andrew Watt and Henry Walter — and co-produced by the singer, Watt and Cirkut — has a bouncy 1980s electro pop vibe, propelled by funhouse keyboards and bright drum machine beats as Gaga muses about hoofing it to the end.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Energy beats calendars for creative work Smart creators work with their natural rhythms.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Yes, Meursault is a bit toxic with his indifference, then one beats his wife, the other beats his dog.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
Nothing beats mom’s cooking, according to one man, at least.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Nvidia beats on top and bottom lines.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
That beats a previous low of -10 recorded a month ago on July 25, and is down from -6 this time last week.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
With Mohammed Kudus being a ball-to-feet winger who beats defenders and crosses dangerous balls into the box, Johnson’s tendency to move off the ball and attack the far post has and will lead to goals this season.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Nothing beats a fun day swimming in one of Arizona's many lakes.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
Latin rhythms blend with Caribbean, American, and European beats.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Music supervisor Matt Biffa relishes more than a few needle drops catered to scandalous character beats that only enrich this viewing experience.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
Apple has developed an algorithm that analyzes how blood vessels respond to beats of the heart using the Watch's optical heart sensor.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
The beats are always really intense.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Samirah, the central performer, entrances Billie—her lyrics punching over vibrating beats, her voice gritty and sultry.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
With a keen interest in all things science, Srishti is particularly drawn to beats covering medicine, sustainable architecture, gene studies, and bioengineering.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
The song co-written by Gaga with Andrew Watt and Henry Walter — and co-produced by the singer, Watt and Cirkut — has a bouncy 1980s electro pop vibe, propelled by funhouse keyboards and bright drum machine beats as Gaga muses about hoofing it to the end.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beats
Verb
-
When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Providing a narrow network or mail-order-only option defeats the purpose.—
Wendy Barnes,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Getting vaccinated too early defeats the purpose.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Yet Team Cherry, along with dozens of coders and others, working quietly and deliberately, has crafted something that rivals (and often surpasses) the work of those massive studios.—
Keller Gordon,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
-
That surpasses the size of a July attack by Moscow that was previously the largest of the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.—
Svitlana Vlasova,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Portugal’s coastline throbs with beach goers and sports enthusiasts.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Use what frustrates or excites you as a clue.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
This imbalance frustrates Delhi but also underscores why cutting ties is not realistic.—
Spriha Srivastava,
CNBC,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But this state’s gubernatorial race is unique and draws attention due to the name recognition among the candidates.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Video footage verified by CNN shows the moment an officer draws his baton amid a struggle with one demonstrator as other officers tussle with protesters on the ground.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At the absolute highest energies, the Moon glows with a light all its own, powered by nuclear recoils, and irrespective of any light, or anything at all, emitted by the Sun.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Its Hungarian Parliament glows at twilight—mirrored in the river’s slow current—while layered history lingers in its bullet-scarred walls.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These cues told the robot which drums to strike and when.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beats. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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