never missing a beat
2
7.5
- idiom
- Informal
- She stays informed about all the latest trends, never missing a beat in the fast-paced industry.
Examples
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She is never missing a beat!
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Even during the complicated presentation, the speaker was never missing a beat.
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With notifications on her phone, she is never missing a beat when it comes to breaking news.
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He is never missing a beat.
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During the presentation, she kept her audience engaged, never missing a beat with her responses to their questions.
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He played the piano beautifully, never missing a beat as he transitioned between songs.
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The team worked in perfect sync, never missing a beat while coordinating their tasks.
Synonyms
127
2.8
Quick to notice and respond to what is happening
18
5.6
Quick to notice and understand things
4
6.3
To notice things quickly and act to fix them
1
7.7
To be alert and ready to act
To stay alert and ready for anything that might happen
You are ready and alert to act quickly
Antonyms
How Alert
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase relies on the metaphorical use of 'miss a beat' (literally skipping a rhythm) to mean 'hesitate or fail to respond.' A B1 learner who knows 'never', 'miss' and 'beat' could plausibly infer 'never missing a beat' = never hesitating/always alert, but this requires recognizing the non-literal metaphorical extension, so it is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Never missing a beat comes from music: if a drummer never misses a beat, they stay exactly in time and do not pause. So, saying someone is never missing a beat means they are always ready and notice everything, 'alert' and quick to react.