Noun
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the act of beating to windward
sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
-
a stroke or blow
"the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"
-
a regular rate of repetition
"the cox raised the beat"
-
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
-
the sound of stroke or blow
"he heard the beat of a drum"
-
a member of the beat generation
a nonconformist in dress and behavior
-
a single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies
has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations
-
the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
"the piece has a fast rhythm"
"the conductor set the beat"
- musical rhythm -
the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart
"he could feel the beat of her heart"
-
a regular route for a sentry or policeman
"in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"
Verb
-
wear out completely
"This kind of work exhausts me"
"I'm beat"
"He was all washed up after the exam"
- wash up - tucker out -
be a mystery or bewildering to
"This beats me!"
"Got me--I don't know the answer!"
"a vexing problem"
"This question really stuck me"
-
beat through cleverness and wit
"I beat the traffic"
"She outfoxed her competitors"
-
strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
-
produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly
"beat the drum"
-
make by pounding or trampling
"beat a path through the forest"
-
move with or as if with a regular alternating motion
"the city pulsated with music and excitement"
-
indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks
"Beat the rhythm"
-
move with a flapping motion
"The bird's wings were flapping"
-
make a sound like a clock or a timer
"the clocks were ticking"
"the grandfather clock beat midnight"
-
avoid paying
"beat the subway fare"
-
be superior
"Reading beats watching television"
"This sure beats work!"
-
strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music
"beat one's breast"
"beat one's foot rhythmically"
-
stir vigorously
"beat the egg whites"
"beat the cream"
-
sail with much tacking or with difficulty
"The boat beat in the strong wind"
-
move with a thrashing motion
"The bird flapped its wings"
"The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
-
glare or strike with great intensity
"The sun was beating down on us"
-
make a rhythmic sound
"Rain drummed against the windshield"
"The drums beat all night"
-
shape by beating
"beat swords into ploughshares"
-
move rhythmically
"Her heart was beating fast"
-
hit repeatedly
"beat on the door"
"beat the table with his shoe"
-
give a beating to
subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression
"Thugs beat him up when he walked down the street late at night"
"The teacher used to beat the students"
- beat up - work over -
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
"Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"
"We beat the competition"
"Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"
- beat out
Adjective
-
very tired
"was all in at the end of the day"
"so beat I could flop down and go to sleep anywhere"
"bushed after all that exercise"
"I'm dead after that long trip"
- all in