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

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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

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
The 67-year-old Sigmon, the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by firing squad, was convicted in 2002 of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents, David and Gladys Larke by beating with a baseball bat at the couple's home in Greenville County, South Carolina. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2025 The Bucks are 3-point favorites against the Warriors, who have been hard to beat since adding Jimmy Butler. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
Funky, thumping beats are booming from a small subwoofer speaker against a makeshift stage made from milk crates. Cat Sposato, AFAR Media, 18 Mar. 2025 Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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 Palo Alto Networks Strong Performance And Prospects On November 20, Palo Alto Networks reported beat expectations, raised guidance, and announced a 2-for-1 stock split effective December 13, Investopedia reported. Peter Cohan, Forbes, 11 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
If the Steelers beat the Bengals and the Ravens beat the Browns, Pittsburgh will go on the road to face Stroud once again. Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024 The only team Jacksonville has beaten since Week 7 is Tennessee (twice). Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Noun
  • The film stars the gifted André Holland as a theater performer who becomes an amnesiac after suffering a violent blow to the head.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The loss was a big blow for the Kings, who played well without two starters but ultimately squandered an opportunity to move ahead of the Clippers for seventh in the Western Conference playoff race.
    Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • This newer approach uses mild electrical pulses to promote blood vessel growth and improve circulation.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Few artists in mainstream country music have their finger on the pulse quite like Dierks Bentley.
    Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • His beats have lots of detail but no fixed center, creating rhythms that call to mind choppy waves or a record that’s stuck in a groove.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • There was no blood, but the violence had rhythm, like a theater of fear. Inside the intake room, a sea of trustees descended on the men with electric shavers, stripping heads of hair with haste.
    Philip Holsinger, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • American leading scorer Matt Rogers injured his right knee four minutes into the game.
    Jeff Wallner, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
  • This displays a page with a numeric code that changes every minute.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But there’s thump, there’s just an understanding of situations, ability to use the whole field.
    LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Alonso slots back into the Mets lineup and fits perfectly behind new teammate Juan Soto, providing exactly the kind of right-handed thump the Mets were lacking.
    Tim Britton, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Others include the cardiac signals that control the beating of your heart, along with other signals that tell your muscles to contract.
    Steve Granick, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Buy So, even with a 53-11 record and Oklahoma City applying regular-season beatings to the rest of the NBA every night, there is still an air of mystery around the Thunder’s championship-level viability.
    Tony Jones, The Athletic, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Despite the issues with the Falcon 9, SpaceX has maintained a remarkable launch cadence.
    Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The global business world is getting more complicated by the day, especially through the chaotic cadence of new tariff enactments and threats.
    Megan Poinski, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Empathy is the heartbeat of every meaningful relationship.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • According to the Mayo Clinic, arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat that happens when the heart's electrical signals don’t work properly.
    Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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