Beat (Noun)
Meaning 1
A regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the beat".
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Examples
- The drum major kept a steady beat as the marching band performed their routine.
- Her heart took on a fast beat as she heard the sound of his approaching footsteps.
- The cox raised the beat of the crew's strokes as they approached the finish line.
- The metronome's steady beat helped the musician keep perfect time while practicing.
- As the storm approached, the beat of the rain against the windows grew louder and more insistent.
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Meaning 2
The basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the beat".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The song has a strong beat that gets everyone dancing.
- The conductor set the beat at the beginning of the symphony and the orchestra followed perfectly.
- The drumbeat echoed through the empty hall, creating an eerie atmosphere.
- The bass line provides a steady beat that underscores the entire melody.
- The pianist's left hand maintained a steady beat while her right hand improvised a beautiful melody.
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Meaning 3
A stroke or blow; "the signal was two beats on the steam pipe".
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The conductor gave the signal with a beat on the whistle, and the train lurched forward.
- The judge's beat on the bench was notorious for being tough on crime.
- Every boat on the river was tuned in to the same beat of the foghorn, a reassuring sound in the darkness.
- The telegraph operator waited for the next beat on the wire, her fingers poised over the keys.
- The rhythmic beat of the drums echoed through the jungle, calling out to the distant villages.
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Meaning 4
The act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The captain expertly timed the beat to take advantage of the wind shift and gain an edge on the competition.
- Sailing a beat upwind was always a challenge, but the crew's skill and experience made it look effortless.
- The sailboat's slow progress on the beat was due to the strong headwind and choppy seas.
- The navigator carefully planned the beat to avoid the rocky shoreline and shallow waters.
- The yacht's ability to point high on the beat allowed it to maintain a significant lead over the other boats.
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Meaning 5
A single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- The beat between the two sound waves was producing a noticeable pulsating effect in the music.
- When the two frequencies were very close to each other, the beat was slower and more pronounced.
- In order to calculate the beat frequency, you need to subtract the lower frequency from the higher frequency.
- The beat frequency is an important concept in physics and is used to analyze the behavior of oscillating systems.
- When adding two sound waves with frequencies of 440 Hz and 438 Hz, the resulting beat had a frequency of 2 Hz.
Hypernyms
Meaning 6
The sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the beat of a drum".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural events.
Examples
- The beat of the bass guitar pulsed through the crowded nightclub.
- She felt the beat of the music in her chest as she danced.
- The beat of the snare drum echoed through the empty hallway.
- The drummer's steady beat kept the band in sync.
- The beat of the waves against the shore was soothing.
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Meaning 7
The rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural events.
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Meaning 8
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The poet carefully considered the beat of each line to create a sense of rhythm.
- In iambic pentameter, the beat falls on every second syllable.
- The emphasis on the first beat of the line created a sense of urgency.
- The beat of the drum accompanied the recitation of the poem.
- The natural beat of the language was disrupted by the forced rhyme scheme.
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Meaning 9
A regular route for a sentry or policeman; "in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name".
Classification
Nouns denoting spatial position.
Examples
- The officer was assigned to the downtown beat, where he got to know the local business owners and residents.
- She had walked her beat for years, but never grew tired of the familiar sights and sounds of the neighborhood.
- In the old days, a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name, which made the community feel safer.
- The captain told the rookie cop to learn every inch of his beat, from the park to the corner store.
- Walking her beat at night, the officer kept an ear out for any unusual noises that might signal trouble.
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Meaning 10
A member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- He embodied the spirit of the beat, with his ripped jeans and leather jacket, reciting poetry in a dimly lit coffee shop.
- As a beat, she rejected mainstream values and sought a more authentic, bohemian lifestyle.
- The beat poet's spontaneous, improvisational style was influenced by jazz music and the spoken word.
- He hung out with the beats in Greenwich Village, soaking up the artistic and literary vibes of the neighborhood.
- The beat's rebellious attitude and unconventional fashion sense inspired a generation of young people to challenge social norms.