beat

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To defeat someone in a game, contest, or fight.

   We beat the other team three goals to one.

2. 2
   verb

   To hit someone or something hard and repeatedly.

   He beat the drum with both hands.

3. 3
   noun

   A single stroke or a steady rhythm of sounds.

   I could feel the beat of her heart.

4. 4
   noun

   The main rhythm of a piece of music.

   Everyone danced to the fast beat of the song.

Common collocations

• regular beat Adjective + noun
• steady beat Adjective + noun
• strong beat Adjective + noun
• feel the beat Verb + noun
• keep the beat Verb + noun

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-der.? Proto-Germanic *bautaną Proto-West Germanic *bautan Old English bēatan Middle English beten English beat Inherited from Middle English beten, from Old English bēatan (“to beat, pound, strike, lash, dash, thrust, hurt, injure”), from Proto-West Germanic *bautan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push, strike”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch boten, botten, butten (“to push, strike”), German boßen (“to thrash”), Gothic *𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍄𐌰𐌽 (*bautan, “to beat, strike”) (whence, probably, Galician and Portuguese botar (“to expel; to throw”)); also Latin fūstis (“club…

Topics