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Glite Dictionary
to beat on

to beat on

13 5.0
To keep going despite difficulty or to make a steady sound like rain on a roof
  • phrasal verb
  • /biːt ɒn/
  • Informal
translation icon : seguir adelante (persistir)
  • He wouldn't open the door when Miss Scarlett beat on it and hollered.
  • continue to beat on
  • beat on like the sun
  • just keep beating on

But at some point, if their heart doesn't quicken and beat on its own, it's not realistic to sustain their life forever using external force.

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Examples

  • The rain sounded loud beating on the tin roof of the car.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Rising as best she could, Sherry frantically beat on his back with her closed fists.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft.

  • "The alarm stopped ringing, but he just kept beating on it for like a half hour.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • But I hear only the rain, steady, beating, beating on the wooden cellar door.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Anyway, Glen'll be all right once he gets to beating on his snare and thinking about music.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Sub-basement - Continuous: Patrick and Bill beat on the door and try to pry it open.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The wind's low roar surrounded the room like an ocean beating on a sunken submarine.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "Jazz burst into tears, wailing inconsolably, her fists beating on the top of the piano."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She decided to beat on her goals until she achieved them, no matter how hard it was.

Synonyms

to beat
vsto beat on
  • NSFW
∞ 1.2

To hit something or someone again and again, making a rhythm

focuses more on persisting in activity rather than just striking sounds
to thump
vsto beat on
10 3.5

To make strong regular beats you can feel in your chest

emphasizes persistence in activity or general steady noise rather than body pulse
to beat out
vsto beat on
2 3.6

Make a rhythm by hitting something repeatedly, like a drum

is broader, meaning continue an activity or make steady noise
to thump out
vsto beat on
1 7.0

To play a strong, repeated beat by hitting an instrument like a drum

is less forceful in meaning, often about ongoing action or steady sound
to pound a beat
vsto beat on
  • Informal
1 7.7

Play a loud, strong rhythm on a drum or instrument

is wider, also meaning to continue an activity or make steady noise

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

to quit
653 1.5

To stop trying when something is too hard

How Persistent

to persist
62 3.7
to beat on
  • Informal
13 5.0
to stick with
341 3.6
to keep going
357 1.6
try
  • Specialized
423 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

beat + on

The literal sense 'to keep hitting or making a steady noise' is directly derivable from 'beat' (strike repeatedly/produce rhythm) plus 'on' (indicating continued duration), so that reading is transparent. However, the extended sense 'to persist with an activity despite difficulty' is a metaphorical extension of 'keep on' and is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure, making the overall MWE only partially transparent.

Etymology

Beat on may come from the image of hitting something again and again: to beat something on is to strike it over and over, like rain pounding a roof or a drummer hitting a drum. That's why it now means 'to continue' or 'to make a steady, repeated noise'.