beat

1 of 4

verb

ˈbēt 

beat; beaten ˈbē-tᵊn  or beat; beating; beats

transitive verb

1

: to strike repeatedly:

a

: to hit repeatedly so as to inflict pain

Inmates were put in solitary for beating other inmates.

—often used with up

… brutes who beat up their victims without compunction …

—J. H. Plumb

b

: to walk on : tread

beat the pavement looking for work

c

: to strike directly against forcefully and repeatedly : dash against

waves beating the shore

beat the door with her fists

d

: to flap or thrash at vigorously

a trapped bird beating the air

e

hunting : to strike at in order to rouse game

beating a hedgerow

also : to range over in or as if in quest of game

… beat the woods and rouse the bounding prey …

—Matthew Prior

f

: to mix by stirring : whip

beat the eggs

—often used with up

g

: to strike repeatedly in order to produce music or a signal

beat a drum

2

a

: to drive or force by blows

beat back his attackers

b

: to pound into a powder, paste, or pulp

c

: to make by repeated treading or driving over

beat a path through the woods

d(1)

: to dislodge by repeated hitting

beat dust from the carpet

(2)

: to lodge securely by repeated striking

beat a stake into the ground

e

: to shape by beating

beat swords into plowshares

especially : to flatten thin by blows

f

: to sound or express especially by drumbeat

beating out a rhythm on the conga

3

: to cause to strike or flap repeatedly

a bird beating its wings

4

a

: overcome, defeat

beat the insurgents in a bloody battle

beating your opponent in chess

They beat us 14 to 3.

also : surpass

She beat the old record by three seconds.

—often used with out

Someone else beat her out for the job.

b

: to prevail despite

beat the odds

c

: bewilder, baffle

it beats me how she does it

d(1)

: fatigue, exhaust

(2)

: to leave dispirited, irresolute, or hopeless

Years of failure had beaten him down.

e

: cheat, swindle

beat him out of his inheritance

5

a(1)

: to act ahead of usually so as to forestall

I was going to make the suggestion, but she beat me to it.

(2)

journalism : to report a news item in advance of

beat the other networks

b

: to come or arrive before

I beat him to the finish line.

c

: circumvent

beat the system

d

sports : to outmaneuver (a defender) and get free

The player attempts to beat the defender and score.

e

sports : to score against (a goalkeeper)

6

: to produce (music or a signal) by striking something repeatedly : to indicate by beating

beat the tempo

intransitive verb

1

a

: to become forcefully propelled forward : dash

waves beating against the shore

b

: to glare or strike with oppressive intensity

The sun beat down on us.

c

: to sustain distracting activity

… the turbulence of the Renaissance … beating about his head …

—Douglas Stewart

d

: to strike a drum repeatedly : to beat a drum

The drummers kept beating.

2

a(1)

: pulsate, throb

Her heart beat wildly.

(2)

: tick

the beating of a clock

b

: to sound upon being struck

the sound of a beating drum

3

a

: to strike repeated blows

beating on the door

… their air attack still beating upon us …

—Sir Winston Churchill

b

: to strike the air : flap

The bird's wings beat frantically.

c

hunting : to strike bushes or other cover in order to rouse game

also : to range or scour for or as if for game

4

: to progress with much difficulty

5

nautical : to sail to windward by a series of zigzag movements

beating along the coast

beatable

ˈbē-tə-bəl 

adjective

beat

2 of 4

noun (1)

plural beats

1

a

: a single stroke or blow especially in a series

a single beat on a drum

also : pulsation, tick

b

: a sound produced by or as if by beating (see beat entry 1)

dance to the beat of the drums

listening to the beat of his heart

c

: a driving impact or force

… the full force of the surf beat …

—Joyce Allan

… the fierce beat of the eastern sun.

—T. B. Costain

2

: one swing of the pendulum or balance (see balance entry 1 sense 9) of a timepiece

3

a

: a regularly traversed round (see round entry 3 sense 6a)

a cop patrolling her beat

b

journalism : a group of news sources that a reporter covers regularly

a reporter on the beat

4

a

: a metrical or rhythmic stress in poetry or music or the rhythmic effect of these stresses

four beats per bar

keeping a steady beat

b

music : the tempo indicated (as by a conductor) to a musical performer

c

music : the pronounced rhythm (see rhythm sense 2b) that is the characteristic driving force in some types of music (such as jazz or rock)

music with a Latin beat

also : rock entry 2 sense 2

d

music : the part of a rap song that is the base over which rap lyrics are added and that is usually composed using special software

The beat and lyrics were beautifully combined and his [Drake's] voice took it over the top.

—Jaime Jimenez

The art of the sample is intertwined with the history of hip-hop, beginning in the 1970s, when DJs would cut bits and pieces of disco and soul tracks together while MCs rhymed over the beat.

—Meg Trogolo

[Leeroy] Green, who writes beats and music in collaboration with other artists, said he's currently wrapping up a single with rapper Zen Dash.

—Jim Testa

5

a

: one that excels

I've never seen the beat of it.

b

journalism : the reporting of a news story ahead of competitors

6

: deadbeat

7

nautical

a

: an act of sailing toward the side or direction from which the wind is blowing by a series of zigzag movements : an act of beating (see beat entry 1 sense intransitive 5) to windward

b

: one of the reaches (see reach entry 2 sense 1) in the zigzag course so traversed : tack

8

physics : each of the pulsations of amplitude (see amplitude sense 1a) produced by the union of sound or radio waves or electric currents having different frequencies

9

dance : an accented stroke (as of one leg or foot against the other)

10

: moment

waited a beat before responding

beatless

ˈbēt-ləs 

adjective

beat

3 of 4

adjective

1

a

: being in a state of exhaustion : exhausted

Sometimes I'd be so beat that I'd flop down and go to sleep fully dressed.

—Polly Adler

b

: sapped of resolution or morale

2

often capitalized [earliest in beat generation; perhaps in part by association with beat entry 2 in sense "pronounced rhythm" or -beat in deadbeat entry 1] : of, relating to, or being beatniks

beat poets

beat

4 of 4

noun (2)

often capitalized

: beatnik

Phrases

beat about the bush or beat around the bush

: to fail or refuse to come to the point in discourse

Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want.

beat a retreat

: to leave in haste

beat it

1

: to hurry away : scram

2

: hurry, rush

beat one's brains out

: to try intently to resolve something difficult by thinking

I beat my brains out trying to figure it out.

beat the bushes

: to search thoroughly through all possible areas

beat the drum

: to proclaim as meritorious or significant : publicize vigorously

beating the drum for their candidate

beat the pants off

: to defeat or surpass overwhelmingly

We vowed to beat the pants off them next time.

beat the rap

: to escape or evade the penalties connected with an accusation or charge

beat up on

: to attack physically or verbally

She was getting beat up on by her critics.

to beat the band

: in a very energetic or forceful manner

talking away to beat the band

miss a beat

chiefly US : to have difficulty in continuing : to stop or hesitate briefly

—often used in negative constructions

A few minutes later, the power cuts out …, but Achmed doesn't miss a beat; clearly, he's used to this.

—Eric Weiner

Synonyms

Verb

• bash
• baste
• bat
• batter
• belabor
• belt
• birch
• bludgeon
• buffet
• bung up
• club
• curry
• do
• drub
• fib [British]
• flog
• hammer
• hide
• lace
• lambaste
• lambast
• lash
• lather
• lick
• maul
• mess (up)
• paddle
• pelt
• pommel
• pound
• pummel
• punch out
• rough (up)
• slate
• slog
• switch
• tan
• thrash
• thresh
• thump
• tromp
• wallop
• whale
• whip
• whop
• whap
• whup
• work over

Noun (1)

• bang
• bash
• bat
• belt
• biff
• blow
• bop
• box
• buffet
• bust
• chop
• clap
• clip
• clout
• crack
• cuff
• dab
• douse [British]
• fillip
• hack
• haymaker
• hit
• hook
• knock
• larrup [dialect]
• lash
• lick
• pelt
• pick
• plump
• poke
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slug
• smack
• smash
• sock
• spank
• stinger
• stripe
• stroke
• swat
• swipe
• switch
• thud
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• welt
• whack
• wham
• whop
• whap

Adjective

• all in
• aweary [archaic]
• beaten
• bleary
• burned-out
• burnt-out
• bushed
• dead
• done
• drained
• exhausted
• fatigued
• jaded
• knackered [British]
• limp
• logy
• loggy
• played out
• pooped [slang]
• prostrate
• spent
• tapped out
• tired
• tuckered (out)
• washed-out
• wearied
• weary
• wiped out
• worn
• worn-out

Examples of beat in a Sentence

Verb

He beat the dust out of the rug with a stick.

She used a hammer to beat the metal into shape.

She used a hammer to beat the nail into the wall.

The dented metal was beaten flat.

The waves were beating the shore.

He beat at the door with his fists.

The waves were beating on the shore.

The rain beat on the roof.

They beat him with clubs.

a man accused of beating his wife

Noun (1)

delivered one hard beat on the drums

a single beat of the heart is said to be all that separates the vice president from the presidency

moved to the beat of the music

within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill

Adjective

Let me sit down. I'm absolutely beat!

can we pick this up tomorrow, because I'm beat?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

September retail sales, released on Tuesday, increased by 3.2% versus August's 2.1% increase, which beat economist expectations of 2.5%. —Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Apple and Amazon beat estimates Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded LSEG consensus estimates. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024

Noun

During the tech fix, Swift sang into her microphone for a few more seconds while touching her ear with her other arm, tapping her leg to the beat of the song. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024

His jab-like bars mesh perfectly with the anticipatory Cobain beat. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Adjective

The Corpse Had a Familiar Face by Edna Buchanan Amazon Edna Buchanan was a beat reporter for the Miami Herald, and this book, which came out in the late eighties, is a kind of journalistic memoir about her eighteen-year career covering crime there. —The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024

Shortstop Miguel Rojas is so beat up he was restricted to the bench. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English beten, from Old English bēatan; akin to Old High German bōzan to beat

Noun (1)

noun derivative of beat entry 1

Adjective

from past participle of beat entry 1

Noun (2)

from beat entry 3 in beat generation, or by shortening of beatnik

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

circa 1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1957, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing beat

• beat a dead horse
• beat a path
• beat a path to your door
• beat back
• beat/bang the drum for
• beat/bash someone's brains out/in
• beat/kick the (living) shit
• beat off
• beat one to it
• beat out
• beat someone at their own game
• beat (someone) to the punch
• beat the clock
• beat the heat
• beat the (living) daylights out of
• beat them to a (bloody) pulp
• beat the odds
• beat/turn swords into plowshares
• beat-up
• be hard/tough to beat
• big beat
• break beat
• heart skips a beat
• made/beat a hasty retreat
• made her heart skip a beat
• march to the beat of a different drummer
• miss a beat
• stick to beat (someone) with
• stick with which to beat (someone)
• trap beat
• world beat

Kids Definition

beat

1 of 3 verb

ˈbēt 

beat; beaten ˈbēt-ᵊn  or beat; beating

1

a

: to hit again and again

beat a drum

rain beating on the roof

—often used with up

two bullies beat him up

b

: to flap against

wings beating the air

c

: to mix by stirring : whip

beat two eggs

2

a

: to drive or force by blows

beat off the intruder

b

: to make by walking or riding over

beat a path

c

: to shape by blows

beat gold into thin strips

3

: to cause to strike or flap repeatedly

birds beating their wings

4

a

: to win against : defeat

b

: baffle entry 1 sense 1

it beats me where they are

c

: surpass sense 1

can you beat that?

5

a

: to act ahead of

beat me to the punch

b

: to arrive before

beat us home

6

: to measure or mark off by strokes

beat time to the music

7

: to glare or strike harshly

the sun beats down

8

: pulsate, throb

the heart beating

beater noun

beat

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a stroke or blow especially in a series

b

: pulsation

c

: a sound produced by or as if by beating

the beat of waves against the rock

2

a

: a rhythmic stress in poetry or music

b

: the tempo given to a musical performer

c

: rhythm sense 2

likes music with a Latin beat

3

: a place or area regularly visited in the course of work or duty

a police officer's beat

a reporter's beat

beat

3 of 3 adjective

1

: being tired out

2

: having lost one's morale

Medical Definition

beat

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈbēt 

beat; beaten ˈbēt-ᵊn  or beat; beating

: pulsate, throb

beat

2 of 2 noun

: a single stroke or pulsation (as of the heart)

ectopic beats

see extrasystole