beat

You can beat a person, a group, or a thing. This word generally means to hit or to to defeat. 

  • Ahmed’s team got beaten in the tournament. (past tense, passive voice) 
  • The other team beat them with a score of 1-0. (past tense, active voice) 
  • You can beat eggs with a whisk. (beat = mix quickly forcefully) 
  • I feel beat. (beat = tired; defeated) 
  • This song has a nice, steady beat. (beat = rhythm) 
  • I’m beat. (beat = tired) 

beat / beat / beaten / beating

a. beat = hit; defeat

As a verb, the word “beat” means to hit in a violent and punitive manner. 

  • The man beat his children and his wife all the time. (past tense) 
  • A man who beats children should be put in jail. (present tense) 
  • It’s wrong to beat a defenseless animal. 
  • Police in the U.S. now regularly beat protestors who speak up against the government. 
  • The police beat up the protestors. (beat up = beat) 

The word “beat” is also used when one side defeats another in competition. Use this for sports, politics, commercial activities. 

  • Manchester United beat the other team very easily.
  • The other team was beaten fair and square. (It was a good competition.) 
  • The Democrats easily beat the Republicans in elections held in urban areas. On the other hand, Republicans easily beat Democrats in rural areas. (rural = far outside of a city)
  • Somehow, Aldi beats its competitors on prices for groceries.   

a. beat = hit; defeat

Aggressive African American female fighter wearing gloves punching black coach in activewear while practicing exercise during boxing workout in gym
  • Everyone was surprised to learn that she was able to beat him in a fight. 
  • She beat him in a fight. (past tense) 
a group of young men standing next to each other
  • They’re hoping to beat the other team. 
  • The last time they played, the other team beat them. 

b. beat = rhythm

A beat in music is a rhythmic sound that is measured.

  • The 4/4 (four-four) signature indicates that there are four beats per measure for a song. 
  • A waltz is in 3/4 time (three-quarter time). There are three beats per measure. 

People who love music often talk about the beat without paying too much attention to time signatures. 

  • This music has a strong beat. 
  • Check out that beat! 
  • You can really feel the beat. 

b. beat = rhythm

grayscale photo of man playing DJ mixing console
  • Feel the beat of the music. 
  • Can you feel the beat? 
  • This track has a strong beat. 

c. other ways to use "beat"

When “beat” is an adjective, it means that a person is tired. 

  • I’m beat! 
  • They feel beat after working all day. 
  • My dog’s beat after chasing rabbits in the yard. 

 

Police officers use the word “beat” for the place where they regularly walk. 

  • Charlie has walked the same beat for the last five years. 
  • Edgar is getting too old to walk the beat, so they put in an office. 
  • He’s been on the same beat for six months. (This could refer to any kind of job that has a steady routine.) 

c. other ways to use "beat"

You’ll often hear the word “beat” for situations when a person is very  tired from work. 

a woman laying on a couch with a plate of food
  • Renee is beat. 
  • After a long day at work, she’s totally beat. 
  • If you feel beat, try to take a nap. 

 

You can click here to go to the English Vocabulary page.