beating

noun

beat·​ing ˈbē-tiŋ 

1

: an act of striking with repeated blows so as to injure or damage

also : the injury or damage thus inflicted

2

: pulsation

3

: defeat, setback

Synonyms

• beat
• palpitation
• pulsation
• pulse
• throb

Examples of beating in a Sentence

he wears a pacemaker to help maintain a regular beating of his heart

took a beating and ended up in second place

Recent Examples on the Web

There's no shortage of brutality in the book or the film, but the movie doesn't explicitly show the beatings, abuse or racist acts. —Felecia Wellington Radel, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024

The veteran took a one-sided beating through nearly three rounds against Joaquin Buckley in the main event in Tampa. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

In an interview for a UN Commission report issued last year, a former detainee at the Palestine branch described regular beatings, beatings with a hosepipe and cigarette burns. —Clarissa Ward, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024

Hospitalized as a result of the beating, Elwood gets a surprise visit from Turner, who’s also a patient (having skillfully feigned illness). —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English betynge, from gerund of beten "to beat entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beating

• beating reed
• breast-beating
• take a beating
• take some beating
• world-beating