beat

[[t]bit[/t]]

v. beat, beat•en beat, beat•ing

1) to strike forcefully and repeatedly:

to beat a toy drum[/ex]

2) cvb to hit (a person or animal) repeatedly so as to cause painful injury; thrash (often fol. by up)

3) to dash against:

rain beating the trees[/ex]

4) to flutter or flap:

a bird beating its wings[/ex]

5) to sound, as on a drum:

to beat a tattoo[/ex]

6) to stir vigorously

7) to break, forge, or make by blows:

to beat swords into plowshares[/ex]

8) to make (a path) by repeated treading

9) mad to mark (time) by strokes, as with the hand or a metronome

10) spo to scour (the forest, grass, or brush) in order to rouse game

11) to overcome, as in a contest; defeat

12) Informal. to be superior to:

Making reservations beats waiting in line[/ex]

13) Informal. to baffle:

It beats me how he got the job[/ex]

14) Informal. to mitigate or offset the effects of:

beating the hot weather[/ex]

15) sts Slang. to swindle; cheat (often fol. by out)

16) Slang. to escape or avoid (blame or punishment)

17) tex (in weaving) to strike (the loose pick) into its proper place in the woven cloth with the reed or other comblike device

18) to strike with or as if with repeated blows

19) to throb or pulsate

20) to resound under blows, as a drum

21) to achieve victory in a contest; win

22) to play, as on a drum

23) to scour cover for game

24) (of a cooking ingredient) to permit beating

25) naut. navig. to tack to windward by sailing close-hauled

26) phv beat about

to search through; scour

27) phv beat back, to force back; compel to withdraw

28) phv beat down

a) to bring into subjection; subdue

b) inf Informal. to persuade (a seller) to lower the price

29) cvb phv beat off

phv to ward off; repulse

30) phv beat out

a) inf to defeat; win or be chosen over

b) phv to create hurriedly; bat out

31) a stroke or blow

32) the sound made by one or more such blows

33) a throb or pulsation:

a pulse of 60 beats per minute[/ex]

34) one's assigned or regular path or habitual round:

a police officer's beat[/ex]

35) mad

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

36) pro the accent stress, or ictus, in a foot or rhythmical unit of poetry

37) phs a variation in amplitude or volume caused by the interference of two waves that have slightly different frequencies

38) jou

a) the reporting of a piece of news ahead of one's rivals; scoop

Compare exclusive 10)

b) Also called newsbeat

the news source, activity, etc., that a reporter is assigned to cover.

39) inf soc (often cap.)

beatnik

40) inf Informal. exhausted; worn out

41) soc (often cap.) of or characteristic of members of the Beat Generation or beatniks

•

- beat all beat it on the beat

Etymology: bef. 900; ME beten, OE bēatan, c. OHG bōzzan beat′a•ble, adj. syn: 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 usu. 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 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, or the like: to thrash an opponent.