Beat - Definitions from Dictionary.com

23 results for: Beat

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

beat

Audio Help [beet] Pronunciation Key verb, beat, beat·en or beat, beat·ing, noun, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1.	to strike violently or forcefully and repeatedly.

2.	to dash against: rain beating the trees.

3.	to flutter, flap, or rotate in or against: beating the air with its wings.

4.	to sound, as on a drum: beating a steady rhythm; to beat a tattoo.

5.	to stir vigorously: Beat the egg whites well.

6.	to break, forge, or make by blows: to beat their swords into plowshares.

7.	to produce (an attitude, idea, habit, etc.) by repeated efforts: I'll beat some sense into him.

8.	to make (a path) by repeated treading.

9.	to strike (a person or animal) repeatedly and injuriously: Some of the hoodlums beat their victims viciously before robbing them.

10.	Music. to mark (time) by strokes, as with the hand or a metronome.

11.	Hunting. to scour (the forest, grass, or brush), and sometimes make noise, in order to rouse game.

12.	to overcome in a contest; defeat.

13.	to win over in a race: We beat the English challenger to Bermuda.

14.	to be superior to: Making reservations beats waiting in line.

15.	to be incomprehensible to; baffle: It beats me how he got the job.

16.	to defeat or frustrate (a person), as a problem to be solved: It beats me how to get her to understand.

17.	to mitigate or offset the effects of: beating the hot weather; trying to beat the sudden decrease in land values.

18.	Slang. to swindle; cheat (often fol. by out): He beat him out of hundreds of dollars on that deal.

19.	to escape or avoid (blame or punishment).

20.	Textiles. to strike (the loose pick) into its proper place in the woven cloth by beating the loosely deposited filling yarn with the reed.

–verb (used without object)

21.	to strike repeated blows; pound.

22.	to throb or pulsate: His heart began to beat faster.

23.	to dash; strike (usually fol. by against or on): rain beating against the windows.

24.	to resound under blows, as a drum.

25.	to achieve victory in a contest; win: Which team do you think will beat?

26.	to play, as on a drum.

27.	to scour cover for game.

28.	Physics. to make a beat or beats.

29.	(of a cooking ingredient) to foam or stiffen as a result of beating or whipping: This cream won't beat.

30.	Nautical. to tack to windward by sailing close-hauled.

–noun

31.	a stroke or blow.

32.	the sound made by one or more such blows: the beat of drums.

33.	a throb or pulsation: a pulse of 60 beats per minute.

34.	the ticking sound made by a clock or watch escapement.

35.	one's assigned or regular path or habitual round: a policeman's beat.

36.

Music.

a.	the audible, visual, or mental marking of the metrical divisions of music.

b.	a stroke of the hand, baton, etc., marking the time division or an accent for music during performance.

37.	Theater. a momentary time unit imagined by an actor in timing actions: Wait four beats and then pick up the phone.

38.	Prosody. the accent stress, or ictus, in a foot or rhythmical unit of poetry.

39.	Physics. a pulsation caused by the coincidence of the amplitudes of two oscillations of unequal frequencies, having a frequency equal to the difference between the frequencies of the two oscillations.

40.

Journalism.

a.	the reporting of a piece of news in advance, esp. before it is reported by a rival or rivals. Compare exclusive (def. 13), scoop (def. 8).

b.	Also called newsbeat, run. the particular news source or activity that a reporter is responsible for covering.

41.	a subdivision of a county, as in Mississippi.

42.	(often initial capital letter) Informal. beatnik.

–adjective

43.	Informal. exhausted; worn out.

44.	(often initial capital letter) of or characteristic of members of the Beat Generation or beatniks.

—Verb phrases

45.

beat about,

a.	to search through; scour: After beating about for several hours, he turned up the missing papers.

b.	Nautical. to tack into the wind.

46.	beat back, to force back; compel to withdraw: to beat back an attacker.

47.

beat down,

a.	to bring into subjection; subdue.

b.	Informal. to persuade (a seller) to lower the price of something: His first price was too high, so we tried to beat him down.

48.

beat off,

a.	to ward off; repulse: We had to beat off clouds of mosquitoes.

b.	Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.

49.

beat out,

a.	Informal. to defeat; win or be chosen over: to beat out the competition.

b.	Carpentry. to cut (a mortise).

c.	to produce hurriedly, esp. by writing or typing: There are three days left to beat out the first draft of the novel.

d.	Baseball. (of a hitter) to make (an infield ground ball or bunt) into a hit: He beat out a weak grounder to third.

50.

beat up,

a.	Also, beat up on. to strike repeatedly so as to cause painful injury; thrash: A gang of toughs beat him up on the way home from school. In the third round the champion really began to beat up on the challenger.

b.	British Informal. to find or gather; scare up: I'll beat up some lunch for us while you make out the shopping list.

—Idioms

51.	beat all, Informal. to surpass anything of a similar nature, esp. in an astonishing or outrageous way: The way he came in here and ordered us around beats all!

52.	beat a retreat. retreat (def. 12).

53.	beat around or about the bush. bush¹ (def. 17).

54.	beat it, Informal. to depart; go away: He was pestering me, so I told him to beat it.

55.	beat the air or wind, to make repeated futile attempts.

56.	beat the rap. rap¹ (def. 16).

57.	off one's beat, outside of one's routine, general knowledge, or range of experience: He protested that nonobjective art was off his beat.

58.	on the beat, in the correct rhythm or tempo: By the end of the number they were all finally playing on the beat.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME beten, OE béatan; c. ON bauta, MLG bōten, OHG bōzzan; akin to MIr búalaim I hit, L fūstis a stick < *bheud-

]

—Related forms

beat·a·ble, adjective

—Synonyms 1. belabor, batter, drub, maul, baste, pommel, cudgel, buffet, flog. Beat, hit, pound, strike, thrash refer to the giving of a blow or blows. Beat implies the giving of repeated blows: to beat a rug. To hit is usually to give a single blow, definitely directed: to hit a ball. To pound is to give heavy and repeated blows, often with the fist: to pound a nail, the table. To strike is to give one or more forceful blows suddenly or swiftly: to strike a gong. To thrash implies inflicting repeated blows as punishment, to show superior strength, and the like: to thrash a child. 12. conquer, subdue, vanquish, overpower. 14. excel, outdo, surpass. 22. See pulsate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Beat

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

beat Audio Help   (bēt) Pronunciation Key
v.   beat, beat·en (bēt'n) or beat, beat·ing, beats

v.   tr.

1. To strike repeatedly.
2. To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse; batter.
3. To punish by hitting or whipping; flog.
4. To strike against repeatedly and with force; pound: waves beating the shore.
5. To flap, especially wings.
6. To strike so as to produce music or a signal: beat a drum.
7. Music To mark or count (time or rhythm), especially with the hands or with a baton.
8. To shape or break by repeated blows; forge: beat the glowing metal into a dagger.
9. To make by pounding or trampling: beat a path through the jungle.
10. To defeat or subdue, as in a contest.
11. To force to withdraw or retreat: beat back the enemy.
12. To dislodge from a position: I beat him down to a lower price.
13. To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent: beat the traffic.
14. To arrive or finish before (another): We beat you home by five minutes.
15. To deprive, as by craft or ability: He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
1. To strike against repeatedly and with force; pound: waves beating the shore.
2. To flap, especially wings.
3. To strike so as to produce music or a signal: beat a drum.
4. Music To mark or count (time or rhythm), especially with the hands or with a baton.
5. To shape or break by repeated blows; forge: beat the glowing metal into a dagger.
6. To make by pounding or trampling: beat a path through the jungle.
7. To defeat or subdue, as in a contest.
8. To force to withdraw or retreat: beat back the enemy.
9. To dislodge from a position: I beat him down to a lower price.
10. To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent: beat the traffic.
11. To arrive or finish before (another): We beat you home by five minutes.
12. To deprive, as by craft or ability: He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
1. To shape or break by repeated blows; forge: beat the glowing metal into a dagger.
2. To make by pounding or trampling: beat a path through the jungle.
3. To defeat or subdue, as in a contest.
4. To force to withdraw or retreat: beat back the enemy.
5. To dislodge from a position: I beat him down to a lower price.
6. To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent: beat the traffic.
7. To arrive or finish before (another): We beat you home by five minutes.
8. To deprive, as by craft or ability: He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
To mix rapidly with a utensil: beat two eggs in a bowl.
1. To defeat or subdue, as in a contest.
2. To force to withdraw or retreat: beat back the enemy.
3. To dislodge from a position: I beat him down to a lower price.
4. To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent: beat the traffic.
5. To arrive or finish before (another): We beat you home by five minutes.
6. To deprive, as by craft or ability: He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
Informal To be superior to or better than: Riding beats walking.
Slang To perplex or baffle: It beats me; I don't know the answer.
Informal
1. To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent: beat the traffic.
2. To arrive or finish before (another): We beat you home by five minutes.
3. To deprive, as by craft or ability: He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
Physics To cause a reference wave to combine with (a second wave) so that the frequency of the second wave can be studied through time variations in the amplitude of the combination.

v. intr.

To inflict repeated blows.
To pulsate; throb.
1. To emit sound when struck: The gong beat thunderously.
2. To strike a drum.
To flap repeatedly.
To shine or glare intensely: The sun beat down on us all day.
To fall in torrents: The rain beat on the roof.
To hunt through woods or underbrush in search of game.
Nautical To sail in the direction from which the wind blows.

A stroke or blow, especially one that produces a sound or serves as a signal.
A pulsation or throb.
Physics A variation in amplitude that results from the superpositioning of two or more waves of different frequencies. When sound waves are combined, the variation is heard as a pulsation in the sound.
Music
1. A steady succession of units of rhythm.
2. A gesture used by a conductor to indicate such a unit.
3. The area regularly covered by a reporter, a police officer, or a sentry: television's culture beat.
4. The reporting of a news item obtained ahead of one's competitors.
A pattern of stress that produces the rhythm of verse.
A variable unit of time measuring a pause taken by an actor, as for dramatic effect.
1. The area regularly covered by a reporter, a police officer, or a sentry: television's culture beat.
2. The reporting of a news item obtained ahead of one's competitors.
often Beat A member of the Beat Generation.

adj.

Informal Worn-out; fatigued.
often Beat Of or relating to the Beat Generation.
To drive away.
Vulgar Slang To masturbate.

Phrasal Verb(s):
beat off

To drive away.
Vulgar Slang To masturbate.

beat out
Baseball To reach base safely on (a bunt or ground ball) when a putout is attempted.

Idiom(s):
beat all
To be impressive or amazing. Often used in negative conditional constructions: If that doesn't beat all!

Idiom(s):
beat a retreat
To make a hasty withdrawal.

Idiom(s):
beat around/about the bush
To fail to confront a subject directly.

Idiom(s):
beat it Slang
To leave hurriedly.

Idiom(s):
beat the bushes
To make an exhaustive search.

Idiom(s):
beat the drum/drums
To give enthusiastic public support or promotion: a politician who beats the drum for liberalism.

Idiom(s):
beat up on

To attack physically.
To criticize or scold harshly.

Idiom(s):
to beat the band
To an extreme degree.

[Middle English beten, from Old English bēaten; see bhau- in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: These verbs mean to hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows: was mugged and beaten; basted him with a stick; was battered in the boxing ring; rioting students belabored by police officers; buffeted him with her open palm; hammered the opponent with his fists; lambasted every challenger; troops pounded with mortar fire; pummeled the bully soundly; thrashed the thief for stealing the candy. See Also Synonyms at defeat.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
beat

O.E. beatan "inflict blows on, thrash" (class VII strong verb; past tense beot, pp. beaten), from P.Gmc. *bautan (cf. O.N. bauta, O.H.G. bozan), from PIE base *bhau- "to strike" (see batter (v.)). Of the heart, c.1200, from notion of it striking against the breast. Meaning "to overcome in a contest" is from 1611. Meaning "strike cover to rouse or drive game" (M.E.) is source of beat around the bush (1572), the metaphoric sense of which has shifted from "make preliminary motions" to "avoid, evade." Command beat it "go away" first recorded 1906 (though "action of feet upon the ground" was a sense of O.E. betan). Dead-beat (originally "tired-out") preserves the old pp. To beat (someone) up is c.1900. To beat off "masturbate" is recorded by 1960s. For beat generation, see beatnik.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

beat
adjective
1.	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" [syn: all in]
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"
2.	the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart" [syn: pulse]
3.	the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the beat" [syn: rhythm]
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
5.	a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior [syn: beatnik]
6.	the sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the beat of a drum"
7.	(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse [syn: meter]
8.	a regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the beat"
9.	a stroke or blow; "the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"
10.	the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
verb
1.	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"
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"
3.	hit repeatedly; "beat on the door"; "beat the table with his shoe"
4.	move rhythmically; "Her heart was beating fast"
5.	shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares"
6.	make a rhythmic sound; "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums beat all night" [syn: drum]
7.	glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was beating down on us"
8.	move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
9.	sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat beat in the strong wind"
10.	stir vigorously; "beat the egg whites"; "beat the cream"
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"
12.	be superior; "Reading beats watching television"; "This sure beats work!"
13.	avoid paying; "beat the subway fare"
14.	make a sound like a clock or a timer; "the clocks were ticking"; "the grandfather clock beat midnight" [syn: tick]
15.	move with a flapping motion; "The bird's wings were flapping"
16.	indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm"
17.	move with or as if with a regular alternating motion; "the city pulsated with music and excitement" [syn: pulsate]
18.	make by pounding or trampling; "beat a path through the forest"
19.	produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum"
20.	strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
21.	beat through cleverness and wit; "I beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors" [syn: outwit]
22.	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" [syn: perplex]
23.	wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam" [syn: exhaust]

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

beat

In addition to the idioms beginning with beat, also see dead beat; heart misses a beat; if you can't beat them, join them; march to a different beat; miss a beat; off the beaten track; pound the pavement (a beat); to beat the band.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
beat1 [biːt] verb — past tense beat; past participle ˈbeaten

to strike or hit repeatedly
Example: Beat the drum.

Arabic:	يَضْرِب
Chinese (Simplified):	（接连地）打（鼓）
Chinese (Traditional):	(接連地)擊打
Czech:	tlouci
Danish:	slå
Dutch:	slaan
Estonian:	taguma
Finnish:	lyödä
French:	battre
German:	schlagen
Greek:	χτυπώ εξακολουθητικά
Hungarian:	üt, ver
Icelandic:	berja, lemja
Indonesian:	memukul
Italian:	colpire, percuotere

Japanese:	たたく
Korean:	연달아 치다
Latvian:	sist; dauzīt
Lithuanian:	mušti
Norwegian:	slå
Polish:	uderzać
Portuguese (Brazil):	bater
Portuguese (Portugal):	bater
Romanian:	a bate (în)
Russian:	бить; ударять
Slovak:	tĺcť
Slovenian:	tolči
Spanish:	batir, golpear, percutir
Swedish:	slå, piska, hamra, bulta
Turkish:	vurmak, çalmak

beat2 [biːt] verb

to win against
Example: She beat me in a contest.

Arabic:	يَهْزِم، يَتَغَلَّب عبى، يَتَفَوَّق
Chinese (Simplified):	战胜
Chinese (Traditional):	戰勝
Czech:	porazit
Danish:	slå
Dutch:	verslaan
Estonian:	võitma
Finnish:	päihittää
French:	battre
German:	schlagen
Greek:	νικώ
Hungarian:	legyőz
Icelandic:	sigra
Indonesian:	mengalahkan
Italian:	battere

Japanese:	負かす
Korean:	이기다
Latvian:	pārspēt; uzvarēt
Lithuanian:	nugalėti
Norwegian:	seire over, slå
Polish:	pokonać
Portuguese (Brazil):	derrotar
Portuguese (Portugal):	derrotar
Romanian:	a învinge
Russian:	побеждать
Slovak:	poraziť
Slovenian:	potolči
Spanish:	derrotar
Swedish:	besegra, slå
Turkish:	yenmek, mağlûp etmek

beat3 [biːt] verb

to mix thoroughly
Example: to beat an egg

Arabic:	يَخْفَقُ البَيْضَه
Chinese (Simplified):	搅拌
Chinese (Traditional):	攪拌
Czech:	šlehat
Danish:	piske
Dutch:	kloppen
Estonian:	vahule kloppima
Finnish:	vatkata
French:	battre
German:	schlagen
Greek:	ανακατεύω, χτυπώ
Hungarian:	(tojást) felver
Icelandic:	hræra, þeyta
Indonesian:	mengocok
Italian:	sbattere

Japanese:	強くかきまぜる
Korean:	휘젓다
Latvian:	sakult
Lithuanian:	išplakti
Norwegian:	vispe, piske
Polish:	ubijać
Portuguese (Brazil):	bater
Portuguese (Portugal):	bater
Romanian:	a bate
Russian:	взбивать
Slovak:	šľahať
Slovenian:	stepati
Spanish:	batir
Swedish:	vispa
Turkish:	çırpmak

beat4 [biːt] verb

to move in a regular rhythm
Example: My heart is beating faster than usual.

Arabic:	يخفق، ينبض يَخْفِق ، يَنْبِضُ (القَلب)
Chinese (Simplified):	跳动
Chinese (Traditional):	跳動
Czech:	bít, tlouci
Danish:	slå; banke
Dutch:	kloppen
Estonian:	lööma
Finnish:	lyödä
French:	battre
German:	schlagen
Greek:	χτυπώ, πάλλομαι
Hungarian:	dobog (szív)
Icelandic:	slá
Indonesian:	berdenyut
Italian:	battere

Japanese:	鼓動する
Korean:	(심장이) 뛰다
Latvian:	pukstēt (par sirdi); pulsēt
Lithuanian:	plakti
Norwegian:	slå
Polish:	bić
Portuguese (Brazil):	bater
Portuguese (Portugal):	bater
Romanian:	a bate
Russian:	биться
Slovak:	biť
Slovenian:	biti
Spanish:	latir, pulsar
Swedish:	slå
Turkish:	çarpmak, atmak

beat5 [biːt] verb

to mark or indicate (musical time) with a baton etc
Example: A conductor beats time for an orchestra.

Arabic:	يُحافِظُ على وِحْدَةِ الأيقاع
Chinese (Simplified):	打拍子
Chinese (Traditional):	打拍子
Czech:	udávat takt
Danish:	slå takt
Dutch:	slaan
Estonian:	takti lööma
Finnish:	lyödä tahtia
French:	battre (la mesure)
German:	Takt angeben, *schlagen
Greek:	κρατώ το χρόνο (μουσ.)
Hungarian:	üt (taktust)
Icelandic:	slá takt
Indonesian:	memukul irama
Italian:	battere

Japanese:	拍子をとる
Korean:	박자를 맞추다
Latvian:	sist takti
Lithuanian:	mušti taktą
Norwegian:	slå takten
Polish:	taktować
Portuguese (Brazil):	marcar (o ritmo)
Portuguese (Portugal):	marcar
Romanian:	a bate (măsura)
Russian:	отбивать (такт)
Slovak:	udávať takt
Slovenian:	dajati takt
Spanish:	marcar, llevar (el compás)
Swedish:	slå takten
Turkish:	tempo tutmak

beat1 [biːt] noun

a regular stroke or its sound
Example: I like the beat of that song.

Arabic:	وِحْدَة الأيقاع
Chinese (Simplified):	敲击声
Chinese (Traditional):	敲擊聲
Czech:	rytmus
Danish:	takt; rytme
Dutch:	ritme
Estonian:	rütm
Finnish:	rytmi
French:	rythme
German:	der (Takt-)Schlag
Greek:	ρυθμός
Hungarian:	ütem
Icelandic:	taktur
Indonesian:	irama
Italian:	ritmo

Japanese:	拍子
Korean:	박자
Latvian:	sitiens; puksts; ritms; takts
Lithuanian:	ritmas
Norwegian:	takt, rytme
Polish:	uderzenie
Portuguese (Brazil):	batida, ritmo
Portuguese (Portugal):	ritmo
Romanian:	ritm
Russian:	ритм
Slovak:	rytmus
Slovenian:	ritem
Spanish:	compás, ritmo
Swedish:	takt, rytm, sväng
Turkish:	tempo

beat2 [biːt] noun

a regular or usual course
Example: a policeman's beat

Arabic:	عَمَل مُعْتاد
Chinese (Simplified):	巡逻路线
Chinese (Traditional):	常規路線
Czech:	obchůzka
Danish:	distrikt; runde
Dutch:	ronde
Estonian:	ringkäik
Finnish:	kierros
French:	ronde
German:	das Revier
Greek:	περιπολία
Hungarian:	őrjárat
Icelandic:	svæði, leið, hringur
Indonesian:	patroli
Italian:	giro (d'ispezione)*

Japanese:	巡回区域
Korean:	순찰 구역
Latvian:	apgaita
Lithuanian:	patruliuojamas rajonas
Norwegian:	(patruljerings)distrikt, runde
Polish:	rewir
Portuguese (Brazil):	batida
Portuguese (Portugal):	ronda
Romanian:	rond
Russian:	патрулировать
Slovak:	obchôdzka
Slovenian:	obhod
Spanish:	ronda
Swedish:	rond, pass, område
Turkish:	nöbet yeri, görev bölgesi

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

beat Audio Help (bēt) Pronunciation Key
A fluctuation or pulsation, usually repeated, in the amplitude of a signal. Beats are generally produced by the superposition of two waves of different frequencies; if the signals are audible, this results in fluctuations between louder and quieter sound.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

beat (bēt)
v. beat, beat·en (bēt'n), beat·ing, beats

To strike repeatedly.
To pulsate; throb.

n.
A stroke, impulse, or pulsation, especially one that produces a sound as of the heart or pulse.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ¹beat
Pronunciation: 'bEt
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: beat;beat·en /'bEt-^&n/ or beat;beat·ing
: PULSATE,

THROB

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ²beat
Function: noun
: a single stroke or pulsation (as of the heart) beats> —see EXTRASYSTOLE

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beat

Beat\, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten; p. pr. & vb. n. Beating.] [OE. beaten, beten, AS. be['a]tan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b?zan. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]

1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum.

Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. --Ex. xxx. 36.

They did beat the gold into thin plates. --Ex. xxxix. 3.

2. To punish by blows; to thrash.

3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game.

To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. --Prior.

4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind.

A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. --Milton.

5. To tread, as a path.

Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. --Blackmore.

6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass.

He beat them in a bloody battle. --Prescott.

For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. --M. Arnold.

7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with out. [Colloq.]

8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.

Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic? --Locke.

9. (Mil.) To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc.

To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.]

To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition.

To beat off, to repel or drive back.

To beat out, to extend by hammering.

To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." --South.

To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low.

To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot.

To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation.

To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot.

To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters.

Syn: To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beat

Beat\, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten; p. pr. & vb. n. Beating.] [OE. beaten, beten, AS. be['a]tan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b?zan. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]

1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum.

Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. --Ex. xxx. 36.

They did beat the gold into thin plates. --Ex. xxxix. 3.

2. To punish by blows; to thrash.

3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game.

To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. --Prior.

4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind.

A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. --Milton.

5. To tread, as a path.

Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. --Blackmore.

6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass.

He beat them in a bloody battle. --Prescott.

For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. --M. Arnold.

7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with out. [Colloq.]

8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.

Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic? --Locke.

To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.]

To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition.

To beat off, to repel or drive back.

To beat out, to extend by hammering.

To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." --South.

To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low.

To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot.

To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation.

To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot.

To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters.

Syn: To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beat

Beat\, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten; p. pr. & vb. n. Beating.] [OE. beaten, beten, AS. be['a]tan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b?zan. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]

1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum.

Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. --Ex. xxx. 36.

They did beat the gold into thin plates. --Ex. xxxix. 3.

2. To punish by blows; to thrash.

3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game.

To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. --Prior.

4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind.

A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. --Milton.

5. To tread, as a path.

Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. --Blackmore.

6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass.

He beat them in a bloody battle. --Prescott.

For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. --M. Arnold.

7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with out. [Colloq.]

8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.

Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic? --Locke.

To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.]

To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition.

To beat off, to repel or drive back.

To beat out, to extend by hammering.

To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." --South.

To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low.

To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot.

To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation.

To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot.

To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters.

Syn: To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beat

Beat\, v. i. 1. To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blows; to knock vigorously or loudly.

The men of the city . . . beat at the door. --Judges. xix. 22.

2. To move with pulsation or throbbing.

A thousand hearts beat happily. --Byron.

3. To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything, as, rain, wind, and waves do.

Sees rolling tempests vainly beat below. --Dryden.

They [winds] beat at the crazy casement. --Longfellow.

The sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wisbed in himself to die. --Jonah iv. 8.

Public envy seemeth to beat chiefly upon ministers. --Bacon.

4. To be in agitation or doubt. [Poetic]

To still my beating mind. --Shak.

5. (Naut.) To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag line or traverse.

6. To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat.

7. (Mil.) To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.

8. (Acoustics & Mus.) To sound with more or less rapid alternations of greater and less intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; -- said of instruments, tones, or vibrations, not perfectly in unison.

A beating wind (Naut.), a wind which necessitates tacking in order to make progress.

To beat about, to try to find; to search by various means or ways. --Addison.

To beat about the bush, to approach a subject circuitously.

To beat up and down (Hunting), to run first one way and then another; -- said of a stag.

To beat up for recruits, to go diligently about in order to get helpers or participators in an enterprise.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beat

Beat\, n. 1. A stroke; a blow.

He, with a careless beat, Struck out the mute creation at a heat. --Dryden.

2. A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse.

3. (Mus.) (a) The rise or fall of the hand or foot, marking the divisions of time; a division of the measure so marked. In the rhythm of music the beat is the unit. (b) A transient grace note, struck immediately before the one it is intended to ornament.

4. (Acoustics & Mus.) A sudden swelling or re["e]nforcement of a sound, recurring at regular intervals, and produced by the interference of sound waves of slightly different periods of vibrations; applied also, by analogy, to other kinds of wave motions; the pulsation or throbbing produced by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison. See Beat, v. i., 8.

5. A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman's beat.

6. A place of habitual or frequent resort.

7. A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; -- often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat. [Low]

Beat of drum (Mil.), a succession of strokes varied, in different ways, for particular purposes, as to regulate a march, to call soldiers to their arms or quarters, to direct an attack, or retreat, etc.

Beat of a watch, or clock, the stroke or sound made by the action of the escapement. A clock is in beat or out of beat, according as the strokes is at equal or unequal intervals.

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beat

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