Beat (Verb)
Meaning 1
Give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression; "Thugs beat him up when he walked down the street late at night"; "The teacher used to beat the students".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The group of teenagers beat the boy senseless for no apparent reason.
- She was arrested for attempting to beat her neighbor with a baseball bat.
- The kids would often beat their siblings mercilessly until one of the parents intervened.
- Local gang members used to beat him on the way home from school every day.
- Police found out the man beat his wife on several occasions under the influence of alcohol.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
- Whip
- Trounce
- Slash
- Baste
- Strap
- Lambaste
- Lash
- Thresh
- Lam
- Lather
- Welt
- Flog
- Knock Out
- Kayo
- Larrup
- Flail
- Belabor
- Lambast
- Paddle
- Batter
Related Words
Meaning 2
Move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
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Meaning 3
Be superior; "Reading beats watching television"; "This sure beats work!".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- Traveling beats staying at home any day for adventure-seekers.
- This exciting new roller coaster ride beats all the other rides at the park.
- Attending a live concert beats listening to recorded music for the energy.
- Cooking outdoors on a camping trip beats conventional meal preparation for many enthusiasts.
- A tropical island getaway beats a chilly winter vacation in the mountains.
Meaning 4
Come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game".
Classification
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.
Examples
- The home team beat the visitors in the final minutes of the football match.
- Apple beat its quarterly earnings forecast by a significant margin.
- She beat her opponent in the chess tournament with a well-planned strategy.
- The experienced chef beat the newcomers in the culinary competition.
- Her novel beat out several others for the prestigious literary award.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
- Whip
- Overcome
- Chicane
- Shaft
- Outperform
- Immobilise
- Overwhelm
- Best
- Thrash
- Outgo
- Jockey
- Spreadeagle
- Master
- Get Over
- Mop Up
- Chouse
- Pip
- Rack Up
- Overmaster
- Outscore
- Drub
- Screw
- Outstrip
- Outdo
- Surmount
- Bat
- Clobber
- Mate
- Rout
- Have The Best
- Lick
- Exceed
- Scoop
- Outflank
- Subdue
- Outmatch
- Trump
Related Words
Meaning 5
Be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me--I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me".
Classification
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting.
Synonyms
- Perplex
- Bewilder
- Puzzle
- Pose
- Amaze
- Flummox
- Get
- Stupefy
- Gravel
- Vex
- Mystify
- Baffle
- Stick
- Nonplus
- Dumbfound
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 6
Make a rhythmic sound; "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums beat all night".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
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Meaning 7
Shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares".
Classification
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing.
Examples
- The blacksmith beat the glowing hot metal into the shape of a horseshoe.
- She beat the lump of clay into a perfectly rounded vase.
- They beat the copper sheets into intricately designed bowls.
- The artist beat the raw zinc alloy into the beautiful sculpture on display.
- In the scene from Exodus, Moses beats the chains off an Israeli slave.
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
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Meaning 8
Sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat beat in the strong wind".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Related Words
Meaning 9
Move with a flapping motion; "The bird's wings were flapping".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Synonyms
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Meaning 10
Avoid paying; "beat the subway fare".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 11
Move with or as if with a regular alternating motion; "the city pulsated with music and excitement".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- Her heart beat rapidly as she walked onto the stage to give her first performance.
- The bass guitar beat through the speakers and vibrated against her chest.
- The rain beat against the windowpane, casting a rhythmic melody.
- The wings of the hummingbird beat extremely fast, giving the illusion of hovering in mid-air.
- In the crowded club, the rhythm of the music seemed to beat in perfect sync with her footsteps.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 12
Make by pounding or trampling; "beat a path through the forest".
Classification
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing.
Hypernyms
Meaning 13
Glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was beating down on us".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Meaning 14
Strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music; "beat one's breast"; "beat one's foot rhythmically".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Related Words
Meaning 15
Indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The drummer beat the rhythm with her sticks, drawing the crowd into the music.
- Beat the pulse on the counter, the kids had fun making their own music.
- With her fingers, she beat the tempo to help the children remember the rhythm.
- The instructor asked the students to beat the time on their desks with ruler to better understand the music.
- The band's lead singer began to beat the rhythm on a bongo drum to set the tone for the concert.
Hyponyms
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Meaning 16
Stir vigorously; "beat the egg whites"; "beat the cream".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
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Meaning 17
Make a sound like a clock or a timer; "the clocks were ticking"; "the grandfather clock beat midnight".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
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Meaning 18
Strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Meaning 19
Beat through cleverness and wit; "I beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors".
Classification
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
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Meaning 20
Hit repeatedly; "beat on the door"; "beat the table with his shoe".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The angry customer beat on the door until the clerk let him in.
- She beat the metal pot with a spoon to scare away the stray cat.
- The frustrated drummer beat the table with his drumsticks while waiting for the repairman.
- The little kid beat the pillow repeatedly until he felt better after crying.
- He beat the dashboard in frustration when his car wouldn't start.
Hyponyms
Related Words
Meaning 21
Wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam".
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- After weeks of not getting any sleep, the constant travel finally beat me.
- I'm beat and ready to go home after working double shifts all week.
- Their losing streak had already beat them, and the last game was just the final nail.
- The stress of running the business has beat him down, it seems from his demeanor.
- The series of arguments completely beat their relationship and it led to its downfall.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 22
Move rhythmically; "Her heart was beating fast".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Synonyms
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Meaning 23
Produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum".
Classification
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing.