beat

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“
Patel said scientists previously believed moving to a beat was an exclusive human trait.

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Definitions (185)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (53)

  1. transitive verb To strike repeatedly.
  2. transitive verb To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse; batter.
  3. transitive verb To punish by hitting or whipping; flog.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (93)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (5)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (34)

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Examples (50)

  • A foreuke called the beat, and they began to pedal together. —  Triple Detente by Piers Anthony
  • The laboratory scenes, in which hard-hatted laborers await the inevitable explosions of beakers of white liquid that bubble to a Latin American beat (the picture yielded a single called "The White Suit Samba"), are tender parodies of every mad-scientist scene from the Universal Studios horror films of the '30s. —  Boston Phoenix - thePhoenix.com
  • In addition to being the lead vocalist, Alex Trimble is classified as the beat-maker with his percussive chops, even if his experience with drum kits is limited. —  Obscure Sound - Indie Music Blog
  • While the beat is a little simple, the vocals and scratching dress it up nicely. —  Hipster, please!: +1 blog of nerd music & culture
  • Moans raps kind of fast and the beat is a little repetitious, but the whole track manages to be equally sharp and loose. —  Hipster, please!: +1 blog of nerd music & culture
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

rhythm ·  roar ·  throb ·  rush ·  whisper ·  stroke ·  sweep ·  burst ·  sound ·  pulse ·  thunder ·  roll

Used in the same contextWord Family

beat:   beating ·  beaten ·  beats
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (7)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English beten, from Old English bēaten; see bhau- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (6)

  1. from Middle English beten, from Anglo-Saxon beátan (preterit beót, past participle beáten) = Old High German bōzan, Middle High German bōzen = Icelandic bauta, beat. The superficial resemblance to F. battre, English bat, batter, is accidental, but has perhaps influenced some of the meanings of beat. Hence beetle.
  2. from beat, v.
  3. Shorter form of beaten, which is the only form used attributively.
  4. Also beet, bait, from Middle English bete; origin unknown, perhaps from beat, v., or perhaps connected with bait, bate, steep: see bate.
  5. Also bait, bate; origin unknown. Cf. beet, make a fire. Peat is apparently a different word.
  6. See beat, n.
 

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