- [countable] a single hit to something, such as a drum, or a movement of something, such as your heart; the sound that this makes
- several loud beats on the drum
- a heart rate of 80 beats per minute
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- regular
- rhythmic
- steady
- …
- clap to
- dance to
- sway to
- …
- two, three, four, etc. beats to the bar
- somebody’s heart misses a beat
- somebody’s heart skips a beat
- …
- [singular] a series of regular hits to something, such as a drum; the sound that this makes
- the steady beat of the drums
- She felt the beat of his heart.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- regular
- rhythmic
- steady
- …
- clap to
- dance to
- sway to
- …
- two, three, four, etc. beats to the bar
- somebody’s heart misses a beat
- somebody’s heart skips a beat
- …
- [countable] the main rhythm, or a unit of rhythm, in a piece of music, a poem, etc.
- This type of music has a strong beat to it.
- The piece has four beats to the bar.
- Pause for two beats and then repeat the chorus.
- The track opens with a pounding drum beat.
- to the beat She tapped her fingers to the beat of the music.
Extra ExamplesTopics Musicb2- Count four beats and then start singing.
- He chants his lyrics over an infectious disco beat.
- They danced to the rhythmic beat of the music.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- regular
- rhythmic
- steady
- …
- clap to
- dance to
- sway to
- …
- two, three, four, etc. beats to the bar
- somebody’s heart misses a beat
- somebody’s heart skips a beat
- …
- [countable, usually singular] the area that a police officer walks around regularly and which they are responsible for
- on the beat More police officers out on the beat may help to cut crime.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + beat- pound
- walk
- on the beat
of drums/heart/wings
rhythm
of police officer
Word OriginOld English bēatan, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
See beat in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee beat in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishsomebody’s heart misses/skips a beat
- used to say that somebody has a sudden feeling of fear, excitement, etc.
- My heart missed a beat when I saw who it was.
march to (the beat of) a different drummer/drum | march to a different beat/tune
- to behave in a different way from other people; to have different attitudes or ideas
- She was a gifted and original artist who marched to a different drummer.
walk the beat
- (of police officers) to walk around the area that they are responsible for
- We have two officers walking the beat after midnight.
Check pronunciation:
beat