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beat

beat

299 1.0
A regular rhythm like the sound in music or a heartbeat
  • noun
  • /biːt/
translation icon : ritmo
  • Every beat of your heart.
  • a steady beat
  • beat and rhythm
  • keep the beat

You were the words, you were the beat, the melody, the song.

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Examples

  • The focus of this lesson is a steady beat with an introduction to timbre.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Parents were encouraged to lightly bounce their infants to the beat while the others clapped.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Strong beat, strong beat, strong beat, strong, weak.

  • You were the words, you were the beat, the melody, the song.

  • His playing improved as his efforts to listen and find the beat of the music were encouraged.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The student should keep a quarter-note pulse through hand gestures, tapping the beat, clapping, or conducting.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The musician set a captivating beat that had everyone dancing.

  • To play this song correctly, you need to keep the beat steady throughout.

  • In poetry, the rhythm can create a powerful beat that enhances the meaning.

Synonyms

rhythm
vsbeat
301 3.3

A regular pattern of sounds and movements, often in music or dance

is the core idea of a steady pulse or timing pattern
throbbing
vsbeat
16 4.1

A strong repeated beat you can hear or feel

is usually gentler, meaning a regular pattern without strong force
cadence
vsbeat
15 6.0

A regular pattern of sounds like speech or marching

is narrower as a constant pulse rather than flowing endings
drumbeat
vsbeat
4 1.6

A repeated sound made by hitting a drum

covers that idea but also other regular pulses beyond drums
1 3.4

A regular rhythm from drums that marks time and creates a mood

is less instrument specific and applies to any steady pulse
rhythmic pattern
vsbeat
  • Literature
1 5.6

A regular pattern of strong and weak syllables in a poem

is broader, applying to simple steady patterns in sound or movement
musical rhythm
vsbeat
  • Specialized
3.2

A regular pattern of beats in a song or dance that gives music its timing

focuses more on the single steady pulse felt or heard
pulsebeat
vsbeat
4.8

A steady beat that gives the basic timing in music or poems

refers more broadly to any regular pulse or movement pattern
3.1

A steady beat in music you can feel in your body or emotions

is more general, covering any regular sound or movement pulse
measured rhythm
vsbeat
  • Specialized
7.0

A pattern of notes where each note has a set length based on a beat, without regular strong beats

is more general, not limited to precise measured note lengths

Idioms

To succeed despite great difficulty or low chances

to beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
15 7.6

Hit someone many times until they are badly hurt or win against them very clearly

To do something before someone else to get an advantage

on the beat
  • Literature
10 5.5

Working in one area, usually as a police officer or reporter

to skip a beat
  • Informal
9 6.1

To feel your heart stop for a moment because you are suddenly excited or scared

To finish something before the time runs out

To defeat someone by using their own methods

3 5.5

To act immediately and confidently without pausing

3 7.7

Win easily by a lot against another person or team

Search carefully in many places to find someone or something

To speak or act strongly to support a cause

to beat feet
  • Slang
2 9.0

To leave quickly to escape or avoid something

To move or act together at the same time in the same way

To work very hard or to threaten to hit someone

1 9.0

Hit someone many times until they are badly hurt

to beat my brain
  • Informal
1 8.2

To think very hard to remember something or to solve a problem

to beat the band
  • Informal
1 8.9

To do something with great energy and excitement

To leave a place quickly to avoid danger or trouble

To do much better than people expected

Push away a lot of people or fans as a joke about being too popular

9.1

Show deep regret by hitting your chest and crying

to beat one's meat
  • Offensive
9.9

To touch his own penis to feel sexual pleasure

To change weapons into tools for peaceful work like farming

to beat the bishop
  • Offensive
9.9

To touch your own private parts to make yourself sexually excited

9.9

Get up very early before sunrise

9.9

A person or thing that looks very ugly, said as a joke

7.5

Always alert and ready to react to news and events

Compounds

2 8.0

A group of American writers and artists from the 1950s who reject social rules and choose free creative lives

beat combo
  • Archaic
1 6.5

A small band that plays rhythm music for dancing

beat music
  • Archaic
1 4.0

A style of pop rock from 1960s Britain with strong rhythms and simple melodies

staccato beat
  • Specialized
1 6.1

Short, sharp musical sounds that have clear gaps between notes

type beat
  • Jargon
7.7

A music track made in the style of a popular artist

How Strong

pounding
72 2.9
to throb
8 3.1
to thump
10 3.5
beat
299 1.0
pulse
632 2.3

Surface Forms

beat singular
beats plural

Etymology

Beat for a regular rhythm comes from the idea of 'striking' a steady sound, like hitting a drum with each pulse. So a beat is the regular 'pulse' or strike you hear in music or movement.