Beat Definition
beat
adjective
- very tired; "was all in at the end of the day"; "so beat I could flop down and go to sleep anywhere"; "bushed after all that exercise"; "I'm dead after that long trip"
noun
- a regular route for a sentry or policeman; "in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"
- the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart"
- the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the beat"
- 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
- a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
- the sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the beat of a drum"
- (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
- a regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the beat"
- a stroke or blow; "the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"
- the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
verb
- 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"
- 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"
- hit repeatedly; "beat on the door"; "beat the table with his shoe"
- move rhythmically; "Her heart was beating fast"
- shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares"
- make a rhythmic sound; "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums beat all night"
- glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was beating down on us"
- move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
- sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat beat in the strong wind"
- stir vigorously; "beat the egg whites"; "beat the cream"
- 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"
- be superior; "Reading beats watching television"; "This sure beats work!"
- avoid paying; "beat the subway fare"
- make a sound like a clock or a timer; "the clocks were ticking"; "the grandfather clock beat midnight"
- move with a flapping motion; "The bird's wings were flapping"
- indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm"
- move with or as if with a regular alternating motion; "the city pulsated with music and excitement"
- make by pounding or trampling; "beat a path through the forest"
- produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum"
- strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
- beat through cleverness and wit; "I beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors"
- 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"
- wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"
"Beat" in song lyrics
See how beat is used in real songs:
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"Nobody beats the biz, beat"
1.4.0. Productions f/ Molly-Q — Freestyle -
"Not forgettin' our roots to an up-tempo beat"
2 Live Crew — Man, Not a Myth -
"Just get on the floor and Bart to the beat!"
2 Live Crew — Do the Bart
Words that rhyme with beat
Usage tips for "beat"
Understanding the precise definition of a word helps you use it with confidence. When using "beat" in your writing, consider whether you need the word itself or one of its synonyms — subtle differences in meaning can change the tone of a sentence. If you're writing poetry or song lyrics, check the rhymes for beat to find words that pair well.