beat
adjective
1. very tired
- so beat I could flop down and go to sleep anywhere
Similar word(s): tired, bushed, dead
Sentences with beat as an adjective:
- After the long day, she was feeling completely beat.
- Dude, you drive a beat car like that and you ain’t gonna get no honeys.
noun
1. a regular route for a sentry or policeman
- in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name
Similar word(s): round
Definition categories: location, itinerary, path, route
2. the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart
- he could feel the beat of her heart
Similar word(s): heartbeat, pulsation, pulse
Definition categories: event
3. the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
- the conductor set the beat
Similar word(s): rhythm
Definition categories: communication
4. 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
Definition categories: phenomenon, oscillation, vibration
5. a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
Similar word(s): beatnik
Definition categories: person, nonconformist, recusant
6. the sound of stroke or blow
- he heard the beat of a drum
Definition categories: event, sound
7. (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
Similar word(s): cadence, measure, meter, metre
Definition categories: communication, prosody
8. a regular rate of repetition
- the cox raised the beat
Definition categories: attribute, pace, rate
9. a stroke or blow
- the signal was two beats on the steam pipe
Definition categories: act, stroke
10. the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
Definition categories: act, sailing
Sentences with beat as a noun:
- a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse
- to walk the beat
- the beat of him
- a dead beat
verb
1. come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
- Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship
- We beat the competition
Similar word(s): crush, shell, trounce, vanquish
Definition categories: competition, defeat, overcome
2. 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
Definition categories: contact
3. hit repeatedly
- beat on the door
- beat the table with his shoe
Definition categories: contact, strike
4. move rhythmically
- Her heart was beating fast
Definition categories: motion, move
5. shape by beating
- beat swords into ploughshares
Definition categories: creation, forge, form, mold, mould, shape, work
6. make a rhythmic sound
- The drums beat all night
Definition categories: perception, go, sound
7. glare or strike with great intensity
- The sun was beating down on us
Definition categories: perception, glare
8. move with a thrashing motion
- The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky
Similar word(s): flap
Definition categories: motion, displace, move
9. sail with much tacking or with difficulty
- The boat beat in the strong wind
Definition categories: motion, sail
10. stir vigorously
- beat the egg whites
- beat the cream
Similar word(s): scramble
Definition categories: contact, agitate, commove, disturb, vex
11. 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
Definition categories: contact, strike
12. be superior
- Reading beats watching television
- This sure beats work!
Definition categories: stative, be
13. avoid paying
- beat the subway fare
Similar word(s): bunk
Definition categories: social, cheat, chisel
14. make a sound like a clock or a timer
- the grandfather clock beat midnight
Similar word(s): tick, ticktack, ticktock
Definition categories: perception, go, sound
15. move with a flapping motion
Similar word(s): flap
Definition categories: motion, move
16. indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks
- Beat the rhythm
Definition categories: motion
17. move with or as if with a regular alternating motion
Similar word(s): pulsate, quiver
Definition categories: motion, move
18. make by pounding or trampling
- beat a path through the forest
Definition categories: creation, create, make
19. produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly
- beat the drum
Definition categories: creation, play
20. strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
Definition categories: contact, beat
21. beat through cleverness and wit
- I beat the traffic
Similar word(s): circumvent, outfox, outsmart, outwit, overreach
Definition categories: competition, exceed, outdo, outgo, outmatch, outperform, outstrip, surmount, surpass
22. be a mystery or bewildering to
- This beats me!
Similar word(s): amaze, baffle, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, get, gravel, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, puzzle, stick, stupefy, vex
Definition categories: cognition, bedevil, befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, fuddle, throw
23. wear out completely
- I'm beat
Similar word(s): exhaust, tucker
Definition categories: body, fatigue, jade, outwear, tire, wear, weary
Sentences with beat as a verb:
- As soon as she heard that Wiktionary was shutting down, she went into a rage and beat the wall with her fists until her knuckles bled.
- He danced hypnotically while she beat the atabaque.
- Jan had little trouble beating John in tennis. He lost five games in a row.
- No matter how quickly Joe finished his test, Roger always beat him.
- I just can't seem to beat the last level of this video game.
- Beat the eggs and whip the cream.
- He wanted $50 for it, but I managed to beat him down to $35.
- to beat a retreat; to beat to quarters
- The drums beat.
- The drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.