Go to the homepage
Log In
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translator
Grammar
Conjugation
School Translator Quiz
English Chinese French German Hindi Italian Portuguese Spanish
Grammar Home English English Usage Grammar Patterns French German Italian Spanish English Grammar in Hindi
English French German Italian Portuguese Spanish
Language Lovers Learning English Learning French Learning German Learning Italian Learning Spanish
Scrabble Home Word checker Help Tools
English Thesaurus Word Lists American Thesaurus
Collins Word of the Day Paul Noble Method Resources Video Pronunciation Word of the Year
About Us Advertise with us B2B Partnerships Collins COBUILD Collins ELT Contact Us Dictionary API HarperCollins Publishers Word Banks
English Thesaurus Word lists American Thesaurus

Synonyms of 'beat'

beat

Explore 'beat' in the dictionary
1 (verb) 
Definition
to strike with a series of violent blows
He lost the boxing match and was badly beaten by his opponent.
Synonyms
batter
break
He listened to the waves breaking against the shore.
hit
She hit him hard across his left arm.
strike
knock
He was mucking around and he knocked her in the stomach.
punch
After punching him on the chin, she hit him over the head.
belt (informal)
Is it true that she belted George in the stomach?
whip
deck (slang)
bruise
bash (informal)
My mother bashed her shin with a suitcase.
sock (slang)
lash
The punishment for stealing bread is five lashes.
chin (slang)
pound
smack
thrash
He was thrashed with a cane until his skin turned red.
cane
thump
He thumped me, nearly knocking me over.
lick (informal)
buffet
clout (informal)
The officer clouted him on the head.
flog
He never flogs his horse no matter how slowly she goes.
whack (informal)
Someone whacked him on the head.
maul
The troops were severely mauled before evacuating the island.
clobber (slang)
She clobbered him with a vase.
wallop (informal)
She walloped me over the head with a cushion.
tonk (informal)
cudgel
He was beaten, cudgelled, and subjected to various dangers.
thwack (informal)
He just thwacked me on the back of the head with a ruler.
lambast(e)
lay one on (slang)
drub
tan (informal)
I'll tan his backside for him.
lam (informal)
beat or knock seven bells out of (informal)
2 (verb) 
Definition
to strike with a series of violent blows
The rain was beating on the window panes.
Synonyms
pound
He pounded the table with his fist.
strike
hammer (informal)
He hammered the young left-hander in four straight sets.
batter
He battered his opponent around the head.
thrash
They thrashed their opponents 5-0.
pelt
Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.
3 (verb) 
Definition
to throb rhythmically
I felt my heart beat faster.
Synonyms
throb
His head throbbed.
pulse
Her feet pulsed with pain.
tick
thump
My heart was thumping wildly.
tremble
He began to tremble all over.
pound
I'm sweating and my heart is pounding.
quake
Her shoulders quaked.
quiver
His bottom lip quivered and big tears rolled down his cheeks.
vibrate
The noise vibrated through the whole house.
pulsate
The racing beat of her heart pulsated under my fingertips.
palpitate
His whole body was palpitating with fear.
4 (verb) 
Definition
to produce (a sound) by striking a drum
When you beat the drum, you feel good.
Synonyms
hit
It hit me that I had a choice.
play
Think before playing the ball.
strike
She took two steps forward and struck him across the mouth.
bang
We could bang on the desks and shout until they let us out.
rap
A guard raps his stick on a metal hand rail.
hammer
Hammer a wooden peg into the hole.
5 (verb) 
Definition
to stir or whisk vigorously
Beat the eggs and sugar until they start to thicken.
Synonyms
whisk
Whisk together the sugar and the egg yolks.
mix
Oil and water don't mix.
Mix the cinnamon with the sugar.
stir
Stir the soup for a few seconds.
fold
whip
Whip the cream until it is thick.
blend
Blend the ingredients until you have a smooth cream.
fluff up
6 (verb) 
Definition
to move (wings) up and down
Its wings beat slowly.
Synonyms
flap
The bird flapped its wings furiously.
thrash
flutter
a butterfly fluttering its wings
agitate
Gently agitate the water with a paintbrush.
wag
The dog was barking and wagging its tail wildly.
swish
7 (verb) 
Definition
to overcome or defeat
He was easily beaten into third place.
Synonyms
defeat
His troops defeated the opposing army.
outdo
trounce
Australia trounced France by sixty points to four.
overcome
the satisfaction of overcoming a rival
stuff (slang)
master
She needs to master her fears of becoming ill.
tank (slang)
crush
The military operation was the first step in a plan to crush the uprising.
overwhelm
One massive assault would overwhelm the weakened enemy.
conquer
a Navajo myth about a great warrior who conquers the spiritual enemies of his people
lick (informal)
He might be able to lick us all in a fair fight.
undo
subdue
They admit they have not been able to subdue the rebels.
excel
Few dancers have excelled her in virtuosity.
surpass
overpower
Britain's tennis No.1 yesterday overpowered his American rival.
outstrip
In pursuing her ambition she outstripped everyone else.
clobber (slang)
vanquish
a happy ending in which the hero vanquishes the monsters
outrun
subjugate
Their costly attempt to subjugate the citizens lasted 10 years.
run rings around (informal)
wipe the floor with (informal)
knock spots off (informal)
make mincemeat of (informal)
pip at the post
outplay
blow out of the water (slang)
put in the shade (informal)
bring to their knees
8 (verb) 
Definition
to arrive, achieve, or finish before (someone or something)
She was as eager as her captain to beat the record.
Synonyms
exceed
His performance exceeded all expectations.
best
top
How are you ever going to top that?
cap (informal)
He always has to cap everyone else's achievements.
eclipse
The gramophone was eclipsed by the compact disc.
surpass
He was determined to surpass the achievements of his older brothers.
transcend
issues like EU membership that transcend party loyalty
outdo
Both sides have tried to outdo each other.
go one better than (informal)
put in the shade
9 (verb) 
Definition
to shape (metal) by repeated blows
Synonyms
shape
Like it or not, our families shape our lives.
work
Work the dough with your hands until it is very smooth.
form
The bowl was formed out of clay.
model
Sometimes she carved wood or modelled clay.
fashion
The desk was fashioned out of oak.
hammer
The barrels are hammered from cold steel.
forge
To forge a blade takes great skill.
1 (noun) 
the rhythmic beat of the surf
Synonyms
pounding
striking
hammering
battering
thrashing
She dropped only eight points in her thrashing of the former champion.
thumping
2 (noun) 
Definition
a regular throb
He could hear the beat of his heart.
Synonyms
throb
The bruise on his stomach ached with a steady throb.
pounding
pumping
pulse
the repetitive pulse of the music
thumping
vibration
They heard a distant low vibration in the distance.
pulsating
palpitation
pulsation
3 (noun) 
Definition
the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
the dance beats of the last two decades
Synonyms
rhythm
His music fused the rhythms of jazz and classical music.
time
measure (prosody)
movement
pattern
swing
metre
accent
pulse
tempo
Elgar supplied his work with precise indications of tempo.
cadence
There was a sudden shift in the cadence of the music.
lilt
Her voice has a West Country lilt.
4 (noun) 
Definition
an assigned route, as of a police officer
I was a relatively new PC on the beat, stationed in Hendon.
Synonyms
route
the most direct route to the town centre
way
Can you tell me the way to the station?
course
For nearly four hours we maintained our course northwards.
rounds
path
A group of reporters blocked his path.
The tornado wrecked everything in its path.
circuit
I get asked this question a lot when I'm on the lecture circuit.
5 (noun) 
Synonyms
blow
He went off to hospital after a blow to the face.
hit
a hit on the head
strike
shake
swing
punch
He's asking for a punch on the nose.
belt (informal)
He gave me a belt over the head with a scrubbing brush.
slap
He reached forward and gave me a slap.
lash
They sentenced him to five lashes for stealing a ham from his neighbour.
thump
He felt a thump on his shoulder.
6 (noun) 
Synonyms
rhythm
the rhythm and rhyme inherent in nursery rhymes
time
A reel is in four-four time.
measure (prosody)
stress
the misplaced stress on the first syllable
metre
accent
Talk very fast and put an accent on every third word.
cadence
He recognised the Polish cadences in her voice.
ictus
(adjective) 
Definition
totally exhausted
(slang) 
Synonyms
exhausted
She was too exhausted even to think clearly.
tired
He is tired and he has to rest after his long trip.
fatigued
How long have you been feeling fatigued?
wiped out (informal)
wearied
worn out
I was exhausted – worn out by the strain I'd been under.
clapped out (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal)
zonked (slang)
shagged out (British, slang)
on your last legs

idiom

See beat it

Phrasal verbs

See beat someone up
See beat something out
See beat yourself up
Copyright © 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Additional synonyms

in the sense of accent
Definition
the stress on a syllable or musical note
Talk very fast and put an accent on every third word.
Synonyms
stress,
force,
beat,
emphasis,
rhythm,
cadence,
timbre,
accentuation,
ictus
in the sense of agitate
Definition
to shake or stir (a liquid)
Gently agitate the water with a paintbrush.
Synonyms
stir,
beat,
mix,
shake,
disturb,
toss,
rouse,
churn
in the sense of bang
Definition
to hit or knock, esp. with a loud noise
We could bang on the desks and shout until they let us out.
Synonyms
hit,
pound,
beat,
strike,
crash,
knock,
belt (informal),
hammer,
slam,
rap,
bump,
bash (informal),
thump,
clatter,
pummel,
tonk (informal),
beat or knock seven bells out of (informal)

Video: pronunciation of
beat

Youtube video
You may also like
English Quiz
English Quiz
Confusables
English Translation of
English Translation of
'beat'
NEW from
NEW from
Collins!
English
English
Word lists
Latest Word
Latest Word
Submissions
English
English
Grammar
Grammar
Grammar
Patterns
Language Lover's
Language Lover's
Blog
Collins
Collins
Scrabble
The Paul Noble
The Paul Noble
Method

Browse alphabetically
beat

  • bearish
  • beast
  • beastly
  • beat
  • beat it
  • beat or kick the shit out of someone
  • beat someone hollow

  • All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'B'

Related terms of
beat

  • beat it
  • beat someone up
  • beat something out
  • beat yourself up
  • beat someone hollow

  • View more related words

Source

Thesaurus for beat from the Collins English Thesaurus
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...
New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

scent or sent?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
sent
scent
He   a basket of fruit and a card.

gone or went?

Which version is correct?
Gladys had just gone into the kitchen. Gladys had just went into the kitchen.

foul or fowl?

Which version is correct?
The smell was really quite foul. The smell was really quite fowl.

driven or drove?

Which version is correct?
I driven into town and went to a restaurant. I drove into town and went to a restaurant.

geezer or geyser?

Which version is correct?
Do you know this geezer? Do you know this geyser?
Your score:
Sep 02, 2021
Word of the day
mas
a carnival
SEE FULL DEFINITION
SEE PREVIOUS WORDS
Sign up for our newsletter
Get the latest news and gain access to exclusive updates and offers
Sign me up
Latest Word Submissions
E5 Sep 01, 2021
E10 Sep 01, 2021
monocausotaxophilia Sep 01, 2021
Chlomentalic Sep 01, 2021
View More Submit
Scrabble score
for 'beat':
6

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

pair or pear?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
pair
pear
Throw me over a   of socks.

warn or worn?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
Worn
Warn
  rugs increase the danger of tripping.

weak or week?

Which version is correct?
I had a letter from my mother last weak. I had a letter from my mother last week.

board or bored?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
bored
board
 I got   with my job as a travel agent. 

we're or were or where?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
We're
Were
Where
  thinking of going to a jazz club tonight.
Your score:
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more. October 30, 2020 Read more
Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content
Register now or log in to access
This page in
Browse all official Collins dictionaries
Contact Us
  • Consent Management
  • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Rights
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • © Collins 2021