1
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
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2
as in defeats
to achieve a victory over
she always beats everyone at checkers, but she's not as good at chess
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3
as in surpasses
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this new animated feature sure beats everything else that's ever been done in animation
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4
as in throbs
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute
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5
as in flutters
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
the bird's wings beat strongly as it soared in the air
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6
as in frustrates
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
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7
8
as in glows
to shine with a bright harsh light
the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy
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9
as in drums
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
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10
as in confuses
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
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11
as in circumvents
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
he spends all of his time trying to beat the system
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12
as in grinds
to reduce to fine particles
years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust
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13
as in plucks
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the screenwriter has filed a lawsuit, accusing the production company of beating him out of his share of the film's net profits
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1
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered one hard beat on the drums
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2
as in pulses
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
a single beat of the heart is said to be all that separates the vice president from the presidency
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3
as in rhythms
the recurrent pattern formed by a series of sounds having a regular rise and fall in intensity
moved to the beat of the music
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4
as in heartbeats
a very small space of time
within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill
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Cite this Entry
“Beats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beats. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.
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