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Glite Dictionary
beats

beats

8.6
Young people in 1950s America who rejected normal values and liked jazz
  • noun
  • /biːts/
  • Archaic
translation icon : beatniks
  • The beats gathered in coffeehouses to discuss literature and philosophy.

Examples

  • The influence of the beats can still be seen in countercultural movements today.

  • Many beats were inspired by jazz musicians like Charlie Parker.

  • The beats were known for their love of jazz music.

  • Many beats rejected traditional societal norms.

  • The beats rejected conventional norms and sought alternative ways of living.

  • Writers and poets in the beats community often gathered to share their work.

  • The beats celebrated spontaneity and creativity in their artistic expressions.

Synonyms

beat
vsbeats
  • Literature
27 9.6

A writer or artist from the Beat Generation of the 1950s

is the collective movement focusing on communal living and jazz
beatnik
vsbeats
  • Archaic
15 9.0

A young person in the 1950s who lived a free, artistic life and wore unusual clothes

is broader covering communal living music and alternative lifestyles
Beat Generation
vsbeats
  • NSFW
2 8.0

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

is the youth subculture noted especially for music and alternative lifestyles

Idioms

to nothing beats
  • Informal
10 4.0

You say this when one thing is better than all others

beats me
  • Informal
7 8.6

I do not know

Compounds

beats per minute
  • Specialized
5 2.7

Number of times the heart beats in one minute to measure pulse

beats per minute
  • Specialized
3.1

Number of beats in music in one minute that shows a song's speed

Surface Forms

beat singular
beats plural

Morphology

beats = Beat (semi-transparent) = beat + s

The plural -s is a regular and transparent inflection of the noun 'Beat'; forming the plural to indicate members is straightforward.

Etymology

The word beats for the 1950s writers comes from jazz slang beat, which meant 'tired' or 'down' and also hints at the music 'beat' (the rhythm) they loved. So beats became the name for people who felt worn out by normal life and who followed jazz, free living, and new ideas.