beat verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of beat verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

beat

verb
 
 
/biːt/
 
/biːt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they beat
 
/biːt/
 
/biːt/
he / she / it beats
 
/biːts/
 
/biːts/
past simple beat
 
/biːt/
 
/biːt/
past participle beaten
 
/ˈbiːtn/
 
/ˈbiːtn/
-ing form beating
 
/ˈbiːtɪŋ/
 
/ˈbiːtɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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    in game

  1.  
     [transitive] to defeat somebody in a game or competition
    • beat somebody at something He beat me at chess.
    • beat somebody She was narrowly beaten by the German in the final.
    • I beat her by just three points.
    • Their recent wins have proved they're still the ones to beat (= the most difficult team to beat).
    Extra Examples
    • He was beaten into second place by the American.
    • He was narrowly beaten by his opponent.
    • Watson was a higher-rated player who consistently beat her.
    • Her entry really did beat the others hands down.
    • She won the 100 metres, beating a number of top Europeans.
    • They were soundly beaten in the finals by a much stronger Dutch side.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • comfortably
    • comprehensively
    • convincingly
    • …
    preposition
    • at
    • by
    phrases
    • beat somebody into second, third, etc. place
    See full entry
    2.

    be better

  2.  
     [transitive] beat something (rather informal) to do or be better than something
    • Nothing beats home cooking.
    • You can't beat Italian shoes.
    • For a break in the sun, Thailand is hard to beat.
    • They want to beat the speed record (= go faster than anyone before).
    • This is his latest attempt to beat the world record.
    3.

    control

  3.  
     [transitive] beat something (informal) to get control of something
    • The government's main aim is to beat inflation.
    Extra Examples
    • Book a break in the sun to try to beat those winter blues.
    • He is struggling to beat his addiction.
    • The new law is a way of trying to beat terrorism.
    4.

    be too difficult

  4.  
     [transitive] (informal) to be too difficult for somebody synonym defeat
    • beat somebody It is a problem that beats even the experts.
    • beat somebody why, how, etc… It beats me (= I don't know) why he did it.
    • What beats me (= what I don't understand) is how it was done so quickly.
    • ‘Where's she gone?’ ‘Beats me.’
    5.

    avoid

  5. [transitive] beat something (informal) to avoid something
    • If we go early we should beat the traffic.
    • We were up and off early to beat the heat.
    6.

    hit

  6.  
     [transitive] to hit a person hard and many times in order to hurt them
    • beat somebody At that time children were regularly beaten for quite minor offences (= as a punishment).
    • beat somebody + adv./prep. A man was found beaten to death.
    • The prisoners were beaten into submission (= they were beaten until they did what was wanted).
    • beat somebody + adj. They beat him unconscious (= hit him until he became unconscious).
    • The men took him out into the street and beat him senseless.
  7.  
    [intransitive, transitive] to hit something hard several times
    • + adv./prep. Somebody was beating at the door.
    • Hailstones beat against the window.
    • beat something Someone was beating a drum.
    • beat something + adv./prep. I was beating dust out of the rugs (= removing dust from the rugs by beating them).
    Synonyms beatbeatbatter ▪ pound ▪ lash ▪ hammerThese words all mean to hit somebody/​something many times, especially hard.beat to hit somebody/​something a lot of times, especially very hard:
    • Someone was beating at the door.
    • A young man was found beaten to death last night.
    • At that time, children were often beaten for quite minor offences (= as a punishment).
    batter to hit somebody/​something hard a lot of times, especially in way that causes serious injury or damage:
    • He had been badly battered around the head and face.
    • Severe winds have been battering the coast.
    pound to hit somebody/​something hard a lot of times, especially in a way that makes a lot of noise:
    • Heavy rain pounded on the roof.
    lash to hit somebody/​something with a lot of force:
    • The rain lashed at the window.
    The subject of lash is often rain, wind, hail, sea or waves.    hammer to hit somebody/​something hard a lot of times, in a way that is noisy or violent:
    • He hammered the door with his fists.
     pound or hammer?There is not much difference in meaning between these two, but to pound is sometimes a steadier action. To hammer can be more violent and it is often used figuratively.Patterns
    • to beat/​batter/​pound/​lash/​hammer somebody/​something with something
    • to beat/​batter/​pound/​lash/​hammer against something
    • to beat/​batter/​pound/​hammer on something
    • to beat/​batter/​hammer something down
    • the rain/​wind/​sea beats/​batters/​pounds/​lashes (at) something
    Extra Examples
    • They could hear the rain beating on the roof.
    • He was beating the carpet with a large brush.
    • His stepfather repeatedly beat his mother.
    • He had been beaten around the head with a rock.
    • She was beaten with a metal bar.
    • They used to get beaten with a wooden spoon.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • badly
    • brutally
    • mercilessly
    • …
    preposition
    • with
    phrases
    • beat somebody about the head
    • beat somebody over the head
    • beat somebody to death
    • …
    See full entry
    8.

    of heart/drums/wings

  8.  
     [intransitive, transitive] to make, or cause something to make, a regular sound or movement
    • She's alive—her heart is still beating.
    • His heart started beating faster.
    • We heard the drums beating.
    • The bird was beating its wings (= moving them up and down) frantically.
    Extra Examples
    • Her heart began to beat a little faster.
    • I could feel my heart beating wildly.
    • I could detect a pulse beating very faintly.
    • Its wings beat feebly against the window.
    • The bird was frantically beating its wings.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • fast
    • frantically
    • furiously
    • …
    See full entry
    9.

    mix

  9.  
     [transitive] to mix something with short quick movements with a fork, etc.
    • beat something up Beat the eggs up to a frothy consistency.
    • beat something Beat the mixture well, until it is light and creamy.
    • Add three eggs, lightly beaten.
    • beat A and B together Beat the flour and milk together.
    Topics Cooking and eatingb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • thoroughly
    • well
    • lightly
    • …
    See full entry
    10.

    shape metal

  10. [transitive, often passive] to change the shape of something, especially metal, by hitting it with a hammer, etc.
    • beat something (out) (into something) The gold is beaten out into thin strips.
    • beaten silver
    • beat something + adj. The metal had been beaten flat.
    11.

    make path

  11. [transitive] beat something (through, across, along, etc. something) to make a path, etc. by walking somewhere or by pressing branches down and walking over them
    • a well-beaten track (= one that has been worn hard by much use)
    • The hunters beat a path through the undergrowth.
    12. Word OriginOld English bēatan, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
beat about the bush (British English)
(North American English beat around the bush)
  1. to talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point
    • Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.
beat somebody at their own game
  1. to defeat or do better than somebody in an activity which they have chosen or in which they think they are strong
beat your brains out
  1. (especially North American English, informal) to think very hard about something for a long time
    • I’ve been beating my brains out all weekend to get this script written.
beat your breast
  1. to show that you feel sorry about something that you have done, especially in public and in an exaggerated way
beat the clock
  1. to finish a task, race, etc. before a particular time
    • The player beat the clock and set a new record.
beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody
  1. (informal) to hit somebody very hard several times and hurt them very much
    • Get out or I’ll beat the living daylights out of you!
beat a dead horse (North American English)
(also flog a dead horse British and North American English)
  1. (informal) to waste your effort by trying to do something that is no longer possible
beat/bang the drum (for somebody/something)
  1. (especially British English) to speak with enthusiasm in support of somebody/something
    • She’s really banging the drum for the new system.
beat/kick (the) hell out of somebody/something | knock hell out of somebody/something
  1. (informal) to hit somebody/something very hard
    • He was a dirty player and loved to kick hell out of the opposition.
beat it
  1. (slang) (usually used in orders) to go away immediately
    • This is private land, so beat it!
beat a path to somebody’s door
  1. if a lot of people beat a path to somebody’s door, they are all interested in something that person has to sell, or can do or tell them
    • Top theatrical agents are beating a path to the teenager's door.
beat the rap
  1. (North American English, slang) to escape without being punished
beat a (hasty) retreat
  1. to go away or back quickly, especially to avoid something unpleasant
    • I decided to beat a hasty retreat.
beat time (to something)
  1. to mark or follow the rhythm of music, by waving a stick, tapping your foot (= hitting it against the floor), etc.
    • She beat time with her fingers.
beat somebody to the punch
  1. (informal) to get or do something before somebody else can
(beat somebody) black and blue
  1. (to hit somebody until they are) covered with bruises (= blue, brown or purple marks on the body)
    More Like This Alliteration in idiomsAlliteration in idioms
can you beat that/it!
  1. (informal) used to express surprise or anger
if you can’t beat them, join them
  1. (saying) if you cannot defeat somebody or be as successful as they are, then it is more sensible to join them in what they are doing and perhaps get some advantage for yourself by doing so
off the beaten track
  1. far away from other people, houses, etc.
    • They live miles off the beaten track.
a rod/stick to beat somebody with
  1. a fact, an argument, etc. that is used in order to blame or punish somebodyTopics Opinion and argumentc2
take some beating
  1. to be difficult to beat
    • That score is going to take some beating.
    • For sheer luxury, this hotel takes some beating.
See beat in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee beat in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: beat

Nearby words

piano
noun
 
 
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