beating

noun

beat·​ing ˈbē-tiŋ How to pronounce beating (audio)
1
: an act of striking with repeated blows so as to injure or damage
also : the injury or damage thus inflicted
2
3

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
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.
Those days are long gone, and that approach is now a recipe for a beating in modern MMA, as Gracie discovered on Saturday. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 The other three officers were convicted in early October of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating. Adrian Sainz, Jonathan Mattise, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Dec. 2024 Villeneuve’s adaptation smartly shifts our allegiance to Zendaya’s Chani, who gets elevated from a side character to the film’s beating, conflicted heart. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024 Justices on Thursday unanimously rejected the argument by Richard Barry Randolph, who was sentenced to death in the fatal beating and stabbing of Minnie Ruth McCollum, a manager of a Handy-Way store in Palatka. News Service Of Florida, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beating 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of beating was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near beating

Cite this Entry

“Beating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beating. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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