beat 1 of 5

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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 5

noun

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beat

3 of 5

adjective (1)

beaten

5 of 5

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
Pete Crow-Armstrong got a superb secondary lead and jump to beat a throw to second base on a routine grounder with two outs to load the bases, setting up Miguel Amaya’s three-run double. Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025 The Red Raiders rallied from 13 points in the final five minutes to beat the Razorbacks in the Sweet 16. Josh Dubow, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Noun
Michael is a five-time Minnesota Sportswriter of the Year and in 2017 was named the inaugural Red Fisher Award winner as best beat writer in the NHL. Michael Russo, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025 The show is thrilling as a sensory experience, humming with sinister percussive beats and the occasional muffled animal squawk in the distance. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
In season two, when Mike White’s series decamped to Sicily, the credits riffed on Italian frescoes that got increasingly debauched — with a beat drop from opera to EDM. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025 Amanda Seyfried will star in the series which follows a beat cop working as the opioid crisis grips the streets of Philadelphia. Lucy Ford, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Remove and discard plastic wrap from rolls, and gently brush tops of rolls with some of the beaten egg. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023 Chee mashes the kernels with beaten egg, salt and a flourish of sugar that brings the flavor into focus but leaves no trace of sweetness. Ligaya Mishan Esther Choi, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2022
Verb
The man had been severely beaten with a baseball bat and was suffering from injuries to his face and arm, federal authorities said. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025 If Liverpool beat Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday, the Carabao Cup will be Slot’s first trophy since replacing Jurgen Klopp nine months ago. Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Noun
  • More price hikes provide a psychological blow that shakes consumer confidence.
    Rohit Arora, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The result is just tit-for-tat subversion and another blow to America’s supposedly nonpartisan system of justice.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • And doing all that with jazz as the soundtrack and the beating pulse of the film is genius.
    Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The ’80s and ’90s would be an era of massive upheaval for the industry, as Ovitz eagerly pursued deals with Japanese investors and the movies had less to do with taking the pulse of American life and more to do with satisfying market quadrants.
    Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The World Series champion Dodgers (11-5) will hand the ball to Tyler Glasnow, who's still finding his rhythm in the early going.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
  • One more shot to find rhythm, regain confidence and enter the playoffs with momentum.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • What’s the statistic there, the average ER physician has to see a patient every three to four minutes?
    Adam B. Vary, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The defense's case to spare Mahdi's life before a judge lasted only about 30 minutes.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Rami Sinno is crouched beside a filing cabinet, wrestling a beach-ball sized disc out of a box, when a dull thump echoes around his laboratory.
    Billy Perrigo, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Then the silence was broken by the loud thump of Olive’s .38/40.
    Horace R. Hinkley, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Correa is accused of participating in beatings, electrocutions and other forms of abuses while allegedly acting as part of a death squad operating under former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Stocks have taken a severe beating, with many investors selling positions after President Donald Trump unveiled his latest tariff policies late Wednesday.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Speak Differently Academic research and scholarship can seem disconnected from the daily cadence of life for most people.
    Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • All the while, Thibodeau had prepared for a different challenge: an unrelenting road schedule at a grueling cadence.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The miniature pacemaker is composed of two electrodes that, when in contact with the body’s fluids, form a type of battery called a galvanic cell, which converts chemical energy into electrical energy used to stimulate the heartbeat.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
  • There’s a foot-stomping grin of a heartbeat to John’s piano riffs, too, content but happy.
    Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

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