Definition of beat - WordReference.com Dictionary

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beat:

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For the verb: "to beat"

Simple Past:	beat
Past Participle:	beaten

beat
A	noun
	1	beat
			the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
		Category Tree: act; human action; human activity ╚action ╚change ╚motion; movement; move ╚travel; traveling; travelling ╚water travel; seafaring ╚sailing ╚beat
	2	beat
			a stroke or blow; "the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"
		Category Tree: act; human action; human activity ╚action ╚change ╚motion; movement; move; motility ╚stroke ╚beat
	3	beat
			a regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the beat"
		Category Tree: abstraction ╚attribute ╚property ╚temporal property ╚pace; rate ╚beat
	4	rhythm, beat, musical rhythm
			the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the beat"
		Category Tree: abstraction ╚time ╚musical time ╚rhythm, beat, musical rhythm ╚syncopation ╚upbeat ╚downbeat ╚backbeat
	5	meter, metre, measure, beat, cadence
			(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
		Category Tree: abstraction ╚relation ╚social relation ╚communication ╚expressive style; style ╚writing style; literary genre; genre ╚form ╚versification ╚poetic rhythm; rhythmic pattern; prosody ╚meter, metre, measure, beat, cadence ╚metrical foot; foot; metrical unit ╚common measure; common meter ╚scansion ╚catalexis
	6	beat
			the sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the beat of a drum"
		Category Tree: event ╚happening; occurrence; natural event ╚sound ╚beat
	7	pulse, pulsation, heartbeat, beat
			the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart"
		Category Tree: event ╚happening; occurrence; natural event ╚periodic event; recurrent event ╚pulse, pulsation, heartbeat, beat ╚throb; throbbing; pounding ╚systole ╚diastole
	8	beat, round
			a regular route for a sentry or policeman; "in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"
		Category Tree: entity ╚location ╚line ╚path; route; itinerary ╚beat, round
	9	beatnik, beat
			a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
		Category Tree: entity ╚object; physical object ╚living thing; animate thing ╚organism; being ╚person; individual; someone; somebody; mortal; human; soul ╚dissenter; dissident; protester; objector; contestant ╚nonconformist; recusant ╚beatnik, beat
	10	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
		Category Tree: event ╚happening; occurrence; natural event ╚movement; motion ╚wave; undulation ╚oscillation; vibration ╚beat
B	verb
	1	exhaust, wash up, beat, tucker, tucker out
			wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚indispose ╚tire; wear upon; tire out; wear; weary; jade; wear out; outwear; wear down; fag out; fag; fatigue ╚exhaust, wash up, beat, tucker, tucker out ╚kill ╚play ╚frazzle
	2	perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound
			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"
		Category Tree: be ╚confuse; throw; fox; befuddle; fuddle; bedevil; confound; discombobulate ╚perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound
	3	beat, beat out, crush, shell, trounce, vanquish
			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"
		Category Tree: get the better of; overcome; defeat ╚beat, beat out, crush, shell, trounce, vanquish ╚cheat; chouse; shaft; screw; chicane; jockey ╚get the jump ╚spread-eagle; spreadeagle; rout ╚whomp ╚worst; pip; mop up; whip; rack up ╚eliminate ╚walk over ╚outpoint; outscore
	4	outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, beat, circumvent
			beat through cleverness and wit; "I beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors"
		Category Tree: get the better of; overcome; defeat ╚beat; beat out; crush; shell; trounce; vanquish ╚surpass; outstrip; outmatch; outgo; exceed; outdo; surmount; outperform ╚outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, beat, circumvent
	5	beat, beat up, work over
			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"

	6	beat
			hit repeatedly; "beat on the door"; "beat the table with his shoe"
		Category Tree: touch ╚strike ╚beat ╚hammer ╚thrash; thresh ╚paste ╚whang ╚deck; coldcock; dump; knock down; floor ╚bastinado ╚beetle ╚beat ╚full
	7	beat
			strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
		Category Tree: touch ╚strike ╚beat ╚beat
	8	beat
			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"
		Category Tree: touch ╚strike ╚beat
	9	beat, scramble
			stir vigorously; "beat the egg whites"; "beat the cream"
		Category Tree: move; displace ╚agitate; vex; disturb; commove; shake up; stir up; raise up ╚beat, scramble ╚cream ╚whisk; whip
	10	beat
			shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares"
		Category Tree: make; create ╚create from raw material; create from raw stuff ╚shape; form; work; mold; mould; forge ╚beat ╚forge; hammer
	11	beat
			produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum"
		Category Tree: sound ╚play ╚beat
	12	beat
			make by pounding or trampling; "beat a path through the forest"
		Category Tree: make; create ╚beat
	13	pulsate, beat, quiver
			move with or as if with a regular alternating motion; "the city pulsated with music and excitement"
		Category Tree: move ╚pulsate, beat, quiver
	14	beat, pound, thump
			move rhythmically; "Her heart was beating fast"
		Category Tree: move ╚beat, pound, thump ╚flap ╚thrash ╚palpitate; flutter ╚pulsate; throb; pulse
	15	beat
			indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm"

	16	beat
			sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat beat in the strong wind"
		Category Tree: travel; go; move; locomote ╚travel ╚ride ╚boat ╚sail ╚beat
	17	beat, flap
			move with a flapping motion; "The bird's wings were flapping"
		Category Tree: move ╚beat, flap ╚clap ╚flail; thresh
	18	beat, flap
			move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
		Category Tree: move; displace ╚beat, flap ╚clap ╚bate
	19	beat
			glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was beating down on us"
		Category Tree: shine; beam ╚glare ╚beat
	20	drum, beat, thrum
			make a rhythmic sound; "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums beat all night"
		Category Tree: cause to be perceived ╚sound; go ╚drum, beat, thrum
	21	tick, ticktock, ticktack, beat
			make a sound like a clock or a timer; "the clocks were ticking"; "the grandfather clock beat midnight"
		Category Tree: cause to be perceived ╚sound; go ╚tick, ticktock, ticktack, beat
	22	beat, bunk
			avoid paying; "beat the subway fare"
		Category Tree: act; move ╚interact ╚treat; handle; do by ╚wrong ╚victimize; victimise ╚cheat; rip off; chisel ╚beat, bunk
	23	beat
			be superior; "Reading beats watching television"; "This sure beats work!"
		Category Tree: be ╚beat
C	adjective
	1	all in(p), beat(p), bushed(p), dead(p)
			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"

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