beat 1 of 7

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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 7

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

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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

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4

beat

3 of 7

adjective (1)

beaten

5 of 7

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

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beats

6 of 7

verb (3)

present tense third-person singular of beat
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as in throbs
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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beats

7 of 7

noun (2)

plural of beat
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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

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
Kansas has beat up on two bad teams in Fresno State and Wagner. Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025 But the key for the stock to get back to its historical market-beating ways is for revenue growth to reaccelerate back to at least 10% year over year and operating margins — on both a GAAP and non-GAAP basis — to trend higher. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
For investors used to blockbuster beats and aggressive outlooks from the AI bellwether that helped drive this year’s rally, the update fell short. Benzinga, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025 The company pointed to the constant building of AI data centers by tech companies and the demand for its newest Blackwell chip as contributing to its earnings beat. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 29 Aug. 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
My picks in this series have been profitable 30 times out of 45, and have beaten the index 23 times. John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 The Bengals need to beat both of those teams to even be considered a threat, and that remains to be seen right now. James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Nothing beats a fun day swimming in one of Arizona's many lakes. Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2025 Chris tries to escape into the quantum storage area, but Other Chris follows, and beats Chris within an inch of his life. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
Rapace’s response externalizes four different beats, from a snort to a tear, astonishment to anger. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025 Before getting into the guitar, bunii started making beats after hearing the pluggnb of Autumn! Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beat

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Cite this Entry

“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

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