English Dictionary

Definition of “beat”

Browse the English dictionary (A-Z)

beat (biːtPronunciation for beat) 

Definitions

verb

Word forms: beats, beating, beat, beaten, beat
  1. intr, often foll by against, on, etc to strike with or as if with a series of violent blows; dash or pound repeatedly (against)
  2. (tr) to punish by striking; flog
  3. to move or cause to move up and down; flap  ⇒ the bird beat its wings heavily 
  4. (intr) to throb rhythmically; pulsate  ⇒ her heart beat fast 
  5. (tr) to make (one's way) by or as if by blows  ⇒ she beat her way out of the crowd 
  6. (tr) up cookery to stir or whisk (an ingredient or mixture) vigorously
  7. (tr) out to shape, make thin, or flatten (a piece of metal) by repeated blows
  8. (tr) music to indicate (time) by the motion of one's hand, baton, etc, or by the action of a metronome
  9. tr, sometimes foll by out to produce (a sound or signal) by or as if by striking a drum
  10. to sound or cause to sound, by or as if by beating  ⇒ beat the drums! 
  11. to overcome (an opponent) in a contest, battle, etc
  12. (tr; often foll by back, down, off etc) to drive, push, or thrust
  13. (tr) to arrive or finish before (someone or something); anticipate or forestall  ⇒ they set off early to beat the rush hour 
  14. (tr) to form (a path or track) by repeatedly walking or riding over it
  15. to scour (woodlands, coverts, or undergrowth) so as to rouse game for shooting
  16. (tr) slang to puzzle or baffle  ⇒ it beats me how he can do that 
  17. (intr) physics (of sounds or electrical signals) to combine and produce a pulsating sound or signal
  18. (intr) nautical to steer a sailing vessel as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
  19. (tr) slang mainly US to cheat or defraud  ⇒ he beat his brother out of the inheritance 
  20. See beat about the bush
  21. See beat a retreat
  22. See beat it
  23. See beat one's breast
  24. See beat someone's brains out
  25. See beat someone to it
  26. See beat the bounds
  27. See can you beat it?

noun

  1. a stroke or blow
  2. the sound made by a stroke or blow
  3. a regular sound or stroke; throb
    1. an assigned or habitual round or route, as of a policeman or sentry
    2. ((as modifier)  ⇒ beat police officers 
  5. the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music, usually grouped in twos, threes, or fours
    1. pop or rock music characterized by a heavy rhythmic beat
    2. ((as modifier)  ⇒ a beat group 
  7. physics the low regular frequency produced by combining two sounds or electrical signals that have similar frequencies
  8. horology the impulse given to the balance wheel by the action of the escapement
  9. prosody the accent, stress, or ictus in a metrical foot
  10. nautical a course that steers a sailing vessel as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
    1. the act of scouring for game by beating
    2. the organized scouring of a particular woodland so as to rouse the game in it
    3. the woodland where game is so roused
  12. short for beatnik
  13. fencing a sharp tap with one's blade on an opponent's blade to deflect it
  14. (modifier, often capital) of, characterized by, or relating to the Beat Generation  ⇒ a beat poet beat philosophy 

adjective

  1. (postpositive) slang totally exhausted

See also

beat down , beat up

Alternative Forms

ˈbeatable adjective

Word Origin

Old English bēatan ; related to Old Norse bauta , Old High German bōzan

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= batter, break, hit, strike, knock, punch, belt, whip, deck, bruise, bash, sock, lash, chin, pound, smack, thrash, cane, thump, lick, buffet, clout, flog, whack, maul, clobber, wallop, tonk, cudgel, thwack, lambast(e) lay one on drub, tan, lam, beat or knock seven bells out of
= pound, strike, hammer, batter, thrash, pelt,
= throb, pulse, tick, thump, tremble, pound, quake, quiver, vibrate, pulsate, palpitate,
= hit, play, strike, bang, rap, hammer,
= whisk, mix, stir, fold, whip, blend, fluff up,
= flap, thrash, flutter, agitate, wag, swish,
= defeat, outdo, trounce, overcome, stuff, master, tank, crush, overwhelm, conquer, lick, undo, subdue, excel, surpass, overpower, outstrip, clobber, vanquish, outrun, subjugate, run rings around, wipe the floor with knock spots off, make mincemeat of, pip at the post outplay, blow out of the water put in the shade, bring to their knees
= exceed, best, top, cap, eclipse, surpass, transcend, outdo, go one better than put in the shade,
= shape, work, form, model, fashion, hammer, forge,
= pounding, striking, hammering, battering, thrashing, thumping,
= throb, pounding, pumping, pulse, thumping, vibration, pulsating, palpitation, pulsation,
= rhythm, time, measure, movement, pattern, swing, metre, accent, pulse, tempo, cadence, lilt,
= route, way, course, rounds, path, circuit,
= blow, hit, strike, shake, swing, punch, belt, slap, lash, thump,
= rhythm, time, measure, stress, metre, accent, cadence, ictus,
= exhausted, tired, fatigued, wiped out, wearied, worn out, clapped out, zonked, shagged out, on your last legs

Translations

  • British English: beat Pronunciation for beat A beat is a regular sound or rhythm....the rhythmic beat of the drum.biːt NOUN ...the rhythmic beat of the drum.
  • Spanish: ritmo Pronunciation for ritmo nm
  • French: rythme Pronunciation for rythme
  • German: Schlag Pronunciation for Schlag nm Schläge
  • Chinese: 敲打Pronunciation for 敲打 n
  • Arabic: نَبْضَةPronunciation for نَبْضَة n
  • Portuguese: batidaPronunciation for batida nf
  • Russian: ударPronunciation for удар nm
  • Croatian: ritamPronunciation for ritam nm
  • Czech: úderPronunciation for úder nm
  • Danish: slagPronunciation for slag nnt
  • Dutch: maatPronunciation for maat nm
  • Finnish: iskuPronunciation for isku n
  • Greek: χτύποςPronunciation for χτύπος nm
  • Italian: ritmoPronunciation for ritmo nm
  • Japanese: 打つことPronunciation for 打つこと n
  • Korean: 타격Pronunciation for 타격 n
  • Norwegian: rytmePronunciation for rytme nm
  • Polish: uderzeniePronunciation for uderzenie nnt
  • Brazilian Portuguese: batidaPronunciation for batida nf
  • European Spanish: ritmo Pronunciation for ritmo nm
  • Swedish: taktPronunciation for takt nutr
  • Thai: ใจเต้นPronunciation for ใจเต้น n
  • Turkish: vuruşPronunciation for vuruş n
  • Vietnamese: cú đánhPronunciation for cú đánh n
  • British English: beat Pronunciation for beat If you beat something, you keep hitting it.He beat the drum with a stick.biːt VERB He beat the drum with a stick.
  • Spanish: golpear Pronunciation for golpear v
  • French: frapper Pronunciation for frapper vt
  • German: schlagen Pronunciation for schlagen v
  • Chinese: 打Pronunciation for 打 v
  • Arabic: يَنْبِضُPronunciation for يَنْبِضُ v
  • Portuguese: baterPronunciation for bater v
  • Russian: битьPronunciation for бить v
  • Croatian: tućiPronunciation for tući v
  • Czech: zbítPronunciation for zbít v bít
  • Danish: slåPronunciation for slå v
  • Dutch: slaanPronunciation for slaan v
  • Finnish: lyödäPronunciation for lyödä v
  • Greek: χτυπώPronunciation for χτυπώ v
  • Italian: batterePronunciation for battere v
  • Japanese: 続けざまに打つPronunciation for 続けざまに打つ v
  • Korean: 때리다Pronunciation for 때리다 v
  • Norwegian: slåPronunciation for slå v
  • Polish: pobićPronunciation for pobić v bić
  • Brazilian Portuguese: baterPronunciation for bater v
  • European Spanish: golpear Pronunciation for golpear v
  • Swedish: slåPronunciation for slå v
  • Thai: ตีPronunciation for ตี v
  • Turkish: dövmekPronunciation for dövmek v
  • Vietnamese: đánh đậpPronunciation for đánh đập v
  • British English: beat Pronunciation for beat If you beat someone in a game or a competition, you do better than they do.He beat me in the race.biːt VERB He beat me in the race.
  • Spanish: derrotar Pronunciation for derrotar v
  • French: battre Pronunciation for battre v
  • German: übertreffen Pronunciation for übertreffen v
  • Chinese: 胜过Pronunciation for 胜过 v
  • Arabic: يَهْزِمُPronunciation for يَهْزِمُ v
  • Portuguese: derrotarPronunciation for derrotar v
  • Russian: побеждатьPronunciation for побеждать v
  • Croatian: pobijeditiPronunciation for pobijediti v
  • Czech: předčitPronunciation for předčit v předčívat
  • Danish: slåPronunciation for slå v
  • Dutch: verslaanPronunciation for verslaan v
  • Finnish: voittaaPronunciation for voittaa vt
  • Greek: υπερέχωPronunciation for υπερέχω v
  • Italian: vincerePronunciation for vincere v
  • Japanese: ･･･に勝つPronunciation for ･･･に勝つ v
  • Korean: 능가하다Pronunciation for 능가하다 v
  • Norwegian: overvinnePronunciation for overvinne v
  • Polish: pokonaćPronunciation for pokonać v pokonywać
  • Brazilian Portuguese: derrotarPronunciation for derrotar v
  • European Spanish: derrotar Pronunciation for derrotar v
  • Swedish: slåPronunciation for slå v
  • Thai: ทำให้พ่ายแพ้Pronunciation for ทำให้พ่ายแพ้ v
  • Turkish: yenmekPronunciation for yenmek v
  • Vietnamese: đánh bạiPronunciation for đánh bại v

Usage examples

  • He was silent for a long moment; the rain beat against the windows, enlarging his silence.
    Jon Cleary, YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)
  • While BMW Oracle Racing overtook Alinghi on the first beat after the Swiss team gained a slight advantage at the start.
    Yachting Boating World (2004)
  • I watched Tyrone beat us in last year's under-21 All-Ireland final.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • But despite these good wishes, McClaren is still desperate to beat City in the high-noon showdown.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • With justification, he was now regarded as "The Oracle" and a steady stream of visitors beat a path to his door.
    Jim Leavesley, George Biro, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'B'

Related Terms

24 results

View more related terms

Browse nearby words

Browse dictionary