Analysis Complete

beat

/ beat /

noun/verb

Definitions & Examples

noun Sense 1

the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing

Type of:

sailing

verb Sense 2

strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

verb Sense 3

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"

Type of:

strike

Derived:

rhythm musical rhythm

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

verb Sense 4

stir vigorously

"beat the egg whites"

"beat the cream"

Type of:

agitate vex disturb

Kinds of:

whisk whip cream

Derived:

beater

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Somebody ----s somebody PP

Domain:

cooking cookery preparation

verb Sense 5

shape by beating

"beat swords into ploughshares"

Type of:

shape form work

Kinds of:

forge hammer

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

verb Sense 6

produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly

"beat the drum"

Type of:

play

Derived:

rhythm musical rhythm

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Domain:

music

verb Sense 7

make by pounding or trampling

"beat a path through the forest"

Type of:

make create

Entails:

tread trample

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

verb Sense 8

move rhythmically

"Her heart was beating fast"

Type of:

move

Kinds of:

pulsate throb pulse palpitate flutter

Derived:

throb throbbing pounding rhythm musical rhythm

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s

Somebody ----s something to somebody

verb Sense 9

indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks

"Beat the rhythm"

Kinds of:

beat out tap out thump out

Derived:

rhythm musical rhythm

Verb group:

drum thrum pound thump

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

verb Sense 10

sail with much tacking or with difficulty

"The boat beat in the strong wind"

Type of:

sail

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s

Somebody ----s something

Somebody ----s something to somebody

Somebody ----s something with something

Domain:

navigation pilotage piloting

verb Sense 11

move with a flapping motion

"The bird''s wings were flapping"

Type of:

move

Kinds of:

flail thresh clap

Derived:

flap flapping flutter fluttering

Verb group:

flap

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s

verb Sense 12

move with a thrashing motion

"The bird flapped its wings"

"The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"

Type of:

move displace

Kinds of:

bate clap

Derived:

flap flapping flutter fluttering

Verb group:

flap

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody PP

verb Sense 13

glare or strike with great intensity

"The sun was beating down on us"

Type of:

glare

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s something to somebody

verb Sense 14

avoid paying

"beat the subway fare"

Type of:

cheat rip off chisel

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

verb Sense 15

hit repeatedly

"beat on the door"

"beat the table with his shoe"

Type of:

strike

Kinds of:

full beetle bastinado deck coldcock

Derived:

beater

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Somebody ----s something with something

Somebody ----s on something

Somebody ----s somebody PP

verb Sense 16

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"

Kinds of:

strong-arm soak pistol-whip belabour belabor

Derived:

beating thrashing licking drubbing lacing

Entails:

hit

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s something with something

noun Sense 17

a stroke or blow

"the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"

Type of:

stroke

noun Sense 18

a regular rate of repetition

"the cox raised the beat"

Type of:

pace rate

Derived:

flap

noun Sense 19

the sound of stroke or blow

"he heard the beat of a drum"

Type of:

sound

Derived:

tick ticktock ticktack

verb Sense 20

be superior

"Reading beats watching television"

"This sure beats work!"

Type of:

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody PP

noun Sense 21

a regular route for a sentry or policeman

"in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"

Type of:

path route itinerary

noun Sense 22

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

Type of:

oscillation vibration

verb Sense 23

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"

Type of:

get the better of overcome defeat

Kinds of:

outpoint outscore walk over eliminate worst

Derived:

conqueror vanquisher thrashing walloping debacle

Verb group:

outwit overreach outsmart outfox circumvent

Entails:

win

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Somebody ----s something with something

Somebody ----s on something

noun Sense 24

a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior

Type of:

nonconformist recusant

Has parts:

beat generation beats beatniks

verb Sense 25

make a rhythmic sound

"Rain drummed against the windshield"

"The drums beat all night"

Type of:

sound go

Derived:

rhythm musical rhythm drummer

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s

Somebody ----s something to somebody

noun Sense 26

the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music

"the piece has a fast rhythm"

"the conductor set the beat"

Type of:

musical time

Kinds of:

backbeat downbeat upbeat syncopation

Derived:

pound thump drum thrum

verb Sense 27

move with or as if with a regular alternating motion

"the city pulsated with music and excitement"

Type of:

move

Verb group:

pulsate throb pulse

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s

verb Sense 28

wear out completely

"This kind of work exhausts me"

"I''m beat"

"He was all washed up after the exam"

Type of:

tire wear upon tire out

Kinds of:

frazzle play kill

Derived:

exhaustion

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s something with something

Somebody ----s on something

noun Sense 29

(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

Type of:

poetic rhythm rhythmic pattern prosody

Kinds of:

catalexis scansion common measure common meter metrical foot

Domain:

prosody metrics

verb Sense 30

make a sound like a clock or a timer

"the clocks were ticking"

"the grandfather clock beat midnight"

Type of:

sound go

Derived:

ticktock tocktact tictac tick watch

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s

noun Sense 31

the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart

"he could feel the beat of her heart"

Type of:

periodic event recurrent event

Kinds of:

diastole systole throb throbbing pounding

Derived:

pound thump pulsate throb pulse

verb Sense 32

beat through cleverness and wit

"I beat the traffic"

"She outfoxed her competitors"

Type of:

surpass outstrip outmatch

Verb group:

beat out crush shell trounce vanquish

Usage Patterns:

Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Somebody ----s something with something

verb Sense 33

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"

Type of:

confuse throw fox

Kinds of:

stump mix up riddle elude escape

Derived:

stupefaction bewilderment obfuscation puzzlement befuddlement

Word Relationship Graph

Synonyms Antonyms Hypernyms Hyponyms

Related Words

sailing strike agitate vex disturb whisk whip cream shape form work forge