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to beat

to beat

2 7.1
To shape metal or other material by hitting it many times
  • verb
  • /biːt/
: martillar
  • She used a wooden spoon to beat the dough until it became smooth and elastic.

Examples

  • Automatically, without realizing it, he began to beat time with his right foot.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The scissors were blunt, and he beat the leather with the chisel and the hammer.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Under Nanny's watchful eye, Sophie had mixed and measured, beaten and blended her light-as-air sponge cake.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The blacksmith expertly beat the hot metal into a beautifully shaped sword.

  • To create the perfect meringue, you must beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Synonyms

to hit
vsto beat
∞ 1.0

To strike someone or something with force

involves repeated shaping strikes not merely occasional impacts
to strike
vsto beat
508 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

applies specifically to shaping by repeated blows rather than single hits
to pound
vsto beat
231 1.3

To hit something again and again very hard

focuses on shaping material rather than crushing or loud impact
to hammer
vsto beat
151 1.6

To hit something many times to shape or flatten it

is about forming material by repeated strikes without a specific tool
to thump
vsto beat
47 3.4

To hit something hard so it makes a dull sound

uses repeated strikes to shape material instead of single dull blows

Idioms

To succeed despite great difficulty or low chances

Search carefully in many places to find someone or something

to beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
17 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
15 5.5

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

to skip a beat
  • Informal
11 6.1

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

To speak or act strongly to support a cause

To defeat someone by using their own methods

To finish something before the time runs out

4 5.5

To act immediately and confidently without pausing

To work very hard or to threaten to hit someone

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

to beat the band
  • Informal
3 8.9

To do something with great energy and excitement

3 7.7

Win easily by a lot against another person or team

To leave a place quickly to avoid danger or trouble

2 7.5

Always alert and ready to react to news and events

to beat feet
  • Slang
2 9.0

To leave quickly to escape or avoid something

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

1 8.8

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

1 9.9

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

to beat the bishop
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To touch your own private parts to make yourself sexually excited

To change weapons into tools for peaceful work like farming

To do much better than people expected

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

9.9

Get up very early before sunrise

Phrasal Verbs

to beat up
  • Offensive
451 4.1

To attack someone by hitting them again and again to hurt them

66 3.8

Defeat others in a contest to win a job or prize

54 9.9

To hurt or defeat someone very badly, often by hitting them

42 9.9

To defeat someone completely, often physically or in a game, used in rude speech

29 6.0

To force someone or something to move away

17 5.6

To avoid saying what you mean directly

to beat on
  • Informal
13 5.0

To keep going despite difficulty or to make a steady sound like rain on a roof

to beat off
  • Informal
11 8.1

Make animals or people who attack you go away

8 3.9

To shine or fall very strongly on a place

4 3.6

Make a rhythm by hitting something repeatedly, like a drum

Arrive before most people to avoid large groups

Speak strongly in public to support a person, idea, or cause

To hit someone or something very hard and damage it

to beat down
  • Informal
1 4.9

To get someone to sell something for a lower price

1 7.4

Move around looking for something in a worried or confused way

to pound a beat
  • Informal
1 7.7

Play a loud, strong rhythm on a drum or instrument

to beat in
  • Informal
1 7.2

To train someone by repeating something until they learn it

1 9.6

Hit someone many times so they become badly hurt

To seem weak or not convincing next to something better

To remove dust from rugs by hitting or shaking them

To win against other teams or companies in a contest

Compounds

2 8.0

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

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

beat combo
  • Archaic
1 6.5

A small band that plays rhythm music for dancing

type beat
  • Jargon
7.7

A music track made in the style of a popular artist

How Forceful

pound
22 4.7
to hammer
151 1.6
to beat
2 7.1
to strike
508 2.4
tap
57 1.0

Surface Forms

beat infinitive
beating present participle
beats third person singular
beat past
beaten past participle

Etymology

The meaning of beat as 'shape by striking' is the literal sense of hitting a material again and again, as when goldsmiths beat metal into thin sheets. That's why metal is beaten to change its form.