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单词 beat
释义
beat1 verbbeat2 nounbeat3 adjective
beatbeat1 /biːt/ ●●● S2 W2 verb (past tense beat, past participle beaten /ˈbiːtn/) Entry menu
MENU FOR beatbeat1 competition/election2 hit3 hit against4 do better5 be better6 food7 control/deal with8 heart9 drums10 wings11 take some beating12 avoid13 do before somebody else14 beat about/around the bush15 beat the system16 beat a path to somebody’s door17 beat a (hasty) retreat18 beat the clock19 (it) beats me20 beat it!21 can you beat that/it?22 beat your brains out23 if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em24 beat the rap25 beat time26 beat a path/track27 to beat the band28 beat the heat29 metal30 hunting31 beat your breastPhrasal verbsbeat downbeat offbeat somebody/something outbeat up
Word Origin
WORD ORIGINbeat1
Origin:
Old English beatan
Verb Table
VERB TABLE
beat
Simple Form
PresentI, you, we, theybeat
he, she, itbeats
PastI, you, he, she, it, we, theybeat
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave beaten, beat
he, she, ithas beaten, beat
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad beaten, beat
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill beat
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have beaten, beat
Continuous Form
PresentIam beating
he, she, itis beating
you, we, theyare beating
PastI, he, she, itwas beating
you, we, theywere beating
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave been beating
he, she, ithas been beating
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad been beating
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill be beating
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have been beating
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
  • Beat the cream into the fruit puree, pour into bowls, and chill.
  • Beat the eggs and pour in the milk.
  • Back then, girls were told that they could never beat a boy at tennis.
  • Brazil beat Italy in the final.
  • Carry on beating the eggs with a fork until they're light and fluffy.
  • Children were beating on different kinds of drums.
  • Do you think the Socialists will beat the Liberals in the election?
  • He used to come home drunk and beat my mother.
  • In a separate bowl, beat together the oil and flour.
  • It's not a particularly good job, but it certainly beats being unemployed.
  • It was clear that she had been badly beaten by her husband.
  • Jake's home-made burgers beat anything you can get at fast-food restaurants.
  • Lewis was a tough boxer, and a hard man to beat.
  • My Father used to let me beat him at chess.
  • No one has figured out how to beat the problem of rodents eating the crops.
  • On the ultrasound machine, I could see the baby's heart beating strongly.
  • Osborne wanted to beat the living daylights out of Flanagan.
  • Police officers had beaten the man with their batons.
  • Slaves were sometimes beaten with sticks or even whipped.
  • Teachers are no longer allowed to beat students who misbehave.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • But UMass still won on the road against a team that should have beaten it.
  • Convention delegates were beaten, stabbed, and shot promiscuously by the police.
  • Following the incident with the boy a Dig Daddy style man had gone to his door and beaten him up.
  • Hey, it beats a bake sale.
  • My torso and my wrists felt as though Edna had beaten them with sticks.
  • Whatever Messrs Mondale, Foot and Kinnock said about raising taxes in the 1980s, they were going to be beaten anyway.
Thesaurus
THESAURUS
to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English: · We should have beaten them easily.· I always beat my brother at tennis.
to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing: · England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.· Bush defeated Kerry in the election.
to defeat someone completely in a game: · They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.
British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game: · Of course, they totally creamed the other team.· I hope we thrash them!
informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument: · She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.· They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.
Longman Language Activatorto beat someone in a game, competition, election etc
to get more points, votes etc than an opposing team or political party: · Do you think the Socialists will beat the Liberals in the election?· Brazil beat Italy in the final.· Lewis was a tough boxer, and a hard man to beat.beat somebody at something: · My Father used to let me beat him at chess.beat somebody by 20 points/5 seconds/50 votes etc: · The Swedish runner beat the Canadian by just under two seconds.beat somebody 3-1/84 to 61/etc: · The Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-3.
especially written to get more points, votes etc than an opposing team, person, or political party. Defeat is more formal than beat .: · For the sixth consecutive year, Oxford defeated Cambridge today in the annual boat race.· Polk of California was defeated by a Democratic challenger in the last election.defeat somebody by 20 points/two goals to one etc: · Sanchez defeated Dornan by just 984 votes.
especially British, spoken to defeat an opponent or team in a game - use this especially about opponents or teams of a similar ability: · She's determined not to let Smith, her fiercest rival, get the better of her.
to easily beat your opponent in a game, especially when people were not expecting you to: · I thought I might beat Tracy at tennis but she was more than a match for me.· The Russian president has once again proved more than a match for his political adversaries.
to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc
informal to completely beat someone in a game, competition, election etc: · Wow, the Raiders just slaughtered the Seahawks again.· The party strategy was to form an alliance to crush the communists.
informal also cream American spoken to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc: · We've been clobbered twice now by Central High's basketball team.· Chicago hammered Boston in an away game on Saturday.· "How'd the game go?" "We creamed 'em!"
especially British to beat an opposing team or political party easily and completely: · The Australians have once again routed the English cricket team.
informal to defeat someone completely in an argument or competition: · I'd think twice before I started a fight with him - he'd wipe the floor with me!
to play much better than an opponent or team in a game and beat them easily: · Ohio outplayed Michigan, especially in the fourth quarter, winning by 14 points.
to defeat an enemy in war
to completely defeat an enemy's army because your armed forces are much larger, have better equipment etc: · The army was well-trained and well-armed, and had little difficulty defeating the rebels.heavily defeat: · The Republicans were heavily defeated in the Spanish Civil War.
to completely defeat an enemy's army because your armed forces are much larger, have better equipment etc: · Napoleon's army was strong enough to overwhelm nearly any potential enemy.· With its greatly superior technology, the government forces completely overwhelmed the rebels.
to completely defeat an enemy's army in a war and to destroy all their armed forces: · After a long and bloody battle the army succeeded in annihilating Seged's forces.· In 1945 Japan was helpless, with its military power annihilated.
to completely defeat an enemy's army in battle: · The general was killed and his armies were routed in a magnificent cavalry charge.
to cause the final defeat of an enemy, especially after a long war, so that they are too weak to fight back: · The disastrous Battle of the Boyne finally brought the Catholics to their knees.· After years of trench warfare, the Kaiser's army had finally been brought to its knees.
to completely defeat the armed forces of an enemy country, with the result that you have complete control over it: · Sailors travelled to the New World with the urge to conquer and explore.· Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, which we know today as France.
to beat someone by using your intelligence
to get an advantage over someone that you are fighting or competing against, by using clever tricks and planning rather than by force: · We can't fight them. We'll just have to try and outsmart them.· None of the thieves wanted to admit that they had been outwitted by a couple of teenagers.
also be too smart for especially American if you are too clever or too smart for someone, they have tried to trick you but you realized what they were doing and stopped them succeeding: · Molly tried to hide the presents but the children were too clever for her and found them within minutes.
when someone is beaten
a situation in which a person, army, political party etc is defeated: · After his third successive election defeat he decided to retire from politics.suffer a defeat: · In the last game of the season they suffered a humiliating defeat, losing 7-0 to Real Madrid.
a situation in which a person, army, political party etc is easily defeated: · The game was a rout, with the home team winning by 10 goals to nil.
a situation in which a person, team, political party etc is defeated badly: · Gramm's drubbing by Davis in the California primary has badly hurt his campaign.take a drubbing: · The Lions took a drubbing from the Eagles last night, losing 58-37.
to avoid a difficult question or subject
to not talk about a subject or not answer a question, because you do not want to cause embarrassment or problems for yourself: · Try to avoid subjects like sex or religion that might offend people.· Typical politician! He just kept avoiding the question.
to avoid a particular subject or a question because you are trying to hide something: · Steve evaded the question when I asked him why he had left work so early.· The best interviewers make it impossible for politicians to evade the questions.
someone who is evasive tries to avoid answering questions or explaining their plans, because they want to hide something: · When we asked him where his wife was, O'Hare suddenly became evasive.· All their questions were met with vague, evasive answers.
informal to avoid answering a question or talking about a subject, especially by talking about something else instead: · Once again the management dodged the issue of salary increases.· Even if you don't agree with him, you have to admit Senator Connors never ducks a question.· He sidestepped the question, and talked instead about plans for the future.
British /beat around the bush American to avoid talking about the most important detail of something and talk about other details instead, because you are embarrassed, not confident etc: · Don't beat about the bush - get to the point.· If you want to leave, just say so instead of beating around the bush.
to avoid a subject or problem, especially because you are afraid, embarrassed, or do not want to offend other people: · Parents often shy away from discussing sex with their children.
to do something before someone else does it
if you do something, go somewhere, see something etc first , you do it before someone else: · It's mine - I saw it first.· Who wants to go first?· Sandy finished the puzzle first.
to be the first person to do a particular thing: · Many people have copied her style, but she was definitely the first.be the first/first to do something: · Of the four of us, my sister was the first to get married.
informal to get or do something before another person who is trying to do the same thing: · I was going to have that last piece of pie but somebody beat me to it.· When Charlie finally got down there to buy the car, he discovered that someone else had beaten him to it.
if you arrive somewhere or finish something ahead of someone, you arrive there or finish it before them: · Carrie got to the pub ahead of us.· Cole finished the race ahead of Jewison.
if someone is ahead of their time they do something before other people do it, especially by having new ideas before anyone else: · As an architect, Sir John Soan was ahead of his time.way ahead of your time: · Ashton's educational theories were way ahead of their time.
better than someone or something else
· We could either go to Florida or California -- which do you think is better?better than · Your job is better than mine.· My sister is a better student than me.· The sales figures were better than we expected.better at something/doing something · Lucy's better at mathematics than I am.far better/much better/a lot better · His latest novel is far better than anything he's written before.better quality · Consumers are demanding lower prices, better quality, and a larger selection of goods.
products, skills, or services that are superior are better than those that they are competing against: · Our aim is to provide our clients with a superior service at all times.· The company has a reputation for superior technology and customer loyalty.superior to: · They claimed that a vegetarian diet was superior to a meat diet.
written goods or services that are of a higher standard or higher quality are better than they were previously or better than goods or services of a similar kind: · In the mid-eighties, American consumers began to purchase more and more Japanese products, believing they were better value and of higher quality.of a higher standard/of higher quality than: · Government officials are claiming that the health care available here is of a much higher standard than in neighbouring countries.
informal to be much better and more enjoyable than something else: · Jake's home-made burgers beat anything you can get at fast-food restaurants.beat doing something: · It's not a particularly good job, but it certainly beats being unemployed.
informal clearly better than others of the same type: · Musicians of the time admitted that the Ellington Orchestra was a cut above all others.a cut above the rest: · The first applicant we interviewed was definitely a cut above the rest.
to be slightly better than something or someone else: have the edge on/over something: · Their new laptop computer seems to have the edge on the competition.have the edge on/over somebody: · Having spent a year in Brazil, she hoped she would have the edge over the other language students.
to be better, more effective, and more useful than something else, especially because of a particular feature: have an advantage over something: · The fact that this computer is so simple to use means that it has an advantage over most other systems.have a distinct advantage over something (=have a clear advantage over something): · For certain types of work, natural wood has distinct advantages over plastics.
to be much more skilful and more successful at doing something than someone else: be more than a match for somebody: · When it comes to TV debates, Senator Murphy's more than a match for any of his rivals.be more than a match for something: · The rebel army's tactics are more than a match for the nation's military forces.
better than something of the usual type, for example by being more enjoyable, more useful, or of higher quality: · I don't want an ordinary wedding. I want something special.· Of my nine gold medals, this one is the most special.· Some aides privately complain that the Senator receives special treatment.
to persuade someone to reduce the price of something
to try to persuade someone to reduce the price of something by arguing with them about what it is worth: · If you go to a street market, you'd better be prepared to haggle.haggle over something: · The passenger haggled over the fare before she got into the taxi.haggle with somebody: · My mother used to spend hours haggling with the market traders.
to try to persuade someone to reduce the price of something by discussing it with them: · She bargained with the woman who was selling the plates and managed to get them for half the usual price.
to persuade someone to reduce the price of something by arguing with them about it: beat somebody down to $50/£20 etc: · The owners originally wanted $1000 for the horse, but George managed to beat them down to $850.beat somebody down: · I beat him down and got the bracelet for $2.
to hit someone as a punishment
to repeatedly hit someone with your hand, with a stick etc as a punishment: · The guards used to regularly beat the prisoners.· Teachers are no longer allowed to beat students who misbehave.beat with: · Slaves were sometimes beaten with sticks or even whipped.
to hit someone repeatedly, especially a child who has behaved badly, with your open hand, on their bottom: · The two boys were spanked and sent to bed without their supper.· Many parents no longer spank their kids as a form of discipline.
also swat American to hit someone, especially a child who has behaved badly, with your open hand on their hand, the backs of their legs, their face etc: · If you don't stop that, I'll smack you!· Slap her hand lightly when she touches something she shouldn't.· He grinned and I wanted to swat him, but he wasn't my son so I didn't.
to hit someone violently and repeatedly with something such as a stick, in order to punish them: · The guards gave the prisoner a beating.give somebody a good/sound beating: · His father took him into the barn and gave him a good beating.
to hit someone very hard with a rope, whip etc especially on their back in order to punish them: · The hostage had terrible scars on his back where he had been whipped.· What kind of a society flogs women simply for saying what they think?
the practice of punishing people, especially children at school, by hitting them with something such as a stick: · In my first year at Hendon School, I had my first taste of corporal punishment.· Corporal punishment is, thankfully, no longer used.
to hit someone repeatedly
to hit someone hard and repeatedly with your hand or with something such as a stick: · It was clear that she had been badly beaten by her husband.beat with: · Police officers had beaten the man with their batons.beat somebody black and blue (=beat someone so hard that their body is covered in marks): · The child had been beaten black and blue.beat the living daylights out of somebody (=beat someone very hard and violently): · Osborne wanted to beat the living daylights out of Flanagan.
to hit someone hard and repeatedly all over their body, leaving them badly hurt and often unable to move: · He would come home drunk, get into a fight with Mom, and beat her up.· Carl got beaten up outside a nightclub on Saturday night.
to repeatedly hit someone in an uncontrolled and violent way: · Teachers suspect that the child is being battered regularly by his parents.batter with: · There were reports of soldiers battering prisoners with their rifles.batter somebody to death (=until they are dead): · The jury heard how Thompson had been maddened by what he saw and battered his wife to death.
American to repeatedly hit someone weaker than yourself, for example a younger child at school: · He was a bully, a mean kid who beat up on the other kids.
British /knock somebody around American to hit someone several times, especially in order to frighten them: · My father used to knock my mother about when he was drunk.· They had been threatened with a gun, pushed, shoved, and knocked around.
to hit someone very hard, especially on the head with a thick heavy object: · Football fans were clubbed by riot police trying to stop the violence.club somebody to death (=until they are dead): · Baby seals are clubbed to death for their fur.
to kill someone
to make someone die, especially deliberately or violently: · He claims that he didn't mean to kill his wife.· The police believe the man may kill again.· What the hell were you doing! You could have killed me!· Official sources say that 20 people were killed in last night's air raids.· My sixteen-year-old son Louis was killed by a drunk driver two years ago.
to deliberately kill someone, especially after planning to do it: · Wilson is accused of murdering his daughter and her boyfriend.· One of the country's top judges has been murdered by the Mafia.
to murder an important or famous person, especially for political reasons: · President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.· an attempt to assassinate the Pope
to kill someone by beating them, kicking them, or attacking them with a knife: · The court heard how the man was beaten to death by racist thugs.· A social worker was found stabbed to death in her office last night.· Smith had apparently been kicked to death.
to kill someone by putting a very harmful substance in their food or drink: · He believed that somebody was trying to poison him.· She had already poisoned three members of her own family with arsenic.
to kill someone by holding their face under water for a long time: · He accused his brother of trying to drown him.
to kill someone by pressing on their throat with both hands or with something such as a piece of string so that they cannot breathe: · Police said that the victim had been strangled.· He slid his hands around her neck and tried to strangle her.
informal to kill someone - often used humorously: bump off somebody/bump somebody off: · He kept marrying rich women and then bumping them off.have somebody bumped off (=arrange for someone to be killed): · His uncle decided to have him bumped off.
informal to kill someone, especially because they are a threat or their death would be convenient: · Perhaps his wife had taken the opportunity to do away with her rival.
to not know a fact or piece of information
· "What time's the next train to Paris?" "I'm sorry, I don't know."· I wish I could tell you the name of the restaurant but I honestly don't know it.not know anything about · These days, record companies are usually owned by people who don't know anything about music.not know how/what/why etc · I don't know why it is so difficult to explain the concept to people.· No one knows if there really is a Loch Ness monster, or if it's just a myth.not know (that) · My mother never knew that they'd called the police out that night.
especially spoken say this when you know nothing at all about the answer to a question, so that you cannot even guess what it might be: · "How much is this painting worth?" "I'm sorry, I've no idea."· When I asked where Louise had gone, he said he didn't have a clue.have no idea/not have a clue what/how/who etc: · That guy obviously doesn't have a clue how to put a Web page together.· I fell asleep half way through the film, and I have absolutely no idea how it ended.
also not have the least idea British spoken say this when you want to say very strongly that you know nothing at all: · "Do you know where he was going after he left here?" "I don't have the slightest idea."not have the faintest/slightest/foggiest idea what/how/where etc: · I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about -- can you explain please?· Nobody at that time had the slightest idea about how caffeine affected the body.not have the faintest/slightest/foggiest idea about: · They didn't have the least idea about how to put up a tent.
spoken say this when you do not know and cannot understand why something happens: · "What I can't understand is why they make you wait three months just to give you a stamp on your passport." "Beats me too."(it) beats me how/why etc: · It beats me how these kids can afford to spend so much money on clothes and CDs.
spoken informal say this when it is impossible for you to know the answer to a question, especially when you are annoyed or surprised that someone has asked you: · "Why is Sharon in such a bad mood?" "How should I know - she never tells me anything."· "We figured we could pay about $200 a week, right?" "Don't ask me! I wasn't in on the conversation."
spoken say this when you think it is impossible for anyone to know the answer to a question: · The world might end tomorrow. Who knows?
spoken say this when you do not know the answer to a difficult question or a joke, and you want someone to tell you: · "Guess who's coming to dinner tonight?" "I give up. Tell me."· "Why did the chicken cross the road?" "I give up, why did the chicken cross the road?"
ways of telling someone to leave
· I wish you'd all just go away and leave me alone!· Major Ferguson opened a window, and shouted to the waiting reporters: "You're wasting your time. Go away!"
said when you want someone to leave the room, house etc immediately because you are angry with them or because there is some danger: · Get out! Just get out will you? I never want to see you again!get out of here!: · Get out of here and leave me alone!
also push off/clear off British said when you want someone to go away because they are annoying you: · I've told you before that we don't need our windows cleaning, so just clear off and don't come back!· Look, just push off will you. You're getting on my nerves.· Get lost you creep! Stop following me.
American informal said when you want someone to go away because they are annoying you: · Beat it, you two. I've had enough of you for one day.
to mix substances or liquids together
to mix different liquids or substances together so that they can no longer be separated: mix something and something: · You can make green by mixing blue and yellow paint.mix something together: · Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.· If these two chemicals are mixed together, they will explode.mix something with something: · Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
to mix different substances or liquids together thoroughly in order to produce a new substance or liquid: combine something and something: · Combine the egg yolks and the cream, and cook over a low heat.combine something with something: · Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.· To maintain a constant standard, some wine producers combine this year's wine with stocks from the previous year.
to mix things by moving them around in a container with a spoon or a stick: · Stir the paint to make sure that the colours are thoroughly mixed.stir something into something: · I watched him as he stirred sugar into his coffee.stir in something/stir something in: · When the butter has melted, stir in the soy sauce and ginger.· Add the grated cheese to the sauce and stir it in.
to mix liquids or soft substances together when you are preparing food, with quick, strong movements of a fork, spoon, or special machine: · Carry on beating the eggs with a fork until they're light and fluffy.beat something together: · In a separate bowl, beat together the oil and flour.beat something into something: · Beat the cream into the fruit puree, pour into bowls, and chill.
to mix liquids or soft substances when you are preparing food, in order to make one smooth substance, using something such as a fork or special machine: · Blend the sugar, eggs, and flour.blend something together: · The ingredients should be blended together until they are smooth.blend something into something: · Beat the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of water and blend them into the white sauce.
to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, especially using a fork or special tool: · Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl over a pan of hot water.whisk something together: · He whisked the butter and eggs together, wondering if this was the right way to make an omelette.
to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker: · For babies, dilute the fruit juice with at least the same amount of water.dilute something with something: · Concentrated bleach can be diluted with water.
to not be punished
informal if a criminal gets off , they get little or no official punishment for their crime: · If he gets off, it's because he has a smart lawyer.get off easy: · You got off easy; you should have been expelled.get off scot-free (=escape punishment completely): · Despite the evidence against him, Heston got off scot-free.
to do something wrong and not be caught or not be punished for it: · He probably got away with about a dozen crimes before he was finally arrested for one.get away with it: · He was the only child in the class who could be rude to the teacher and get away with it.get away with murder informal (=to be allowed to do anything you want and not be punished for it): · Ronnoe lets his kids get away with murder.
American informal to avoid being punished after breaking the law, especially because you cannot be proved guilty: · Frye was arrested on state and federal charges, but he managed to beat the rap.
if someone is able to do something wrong or illegal with impunity , they can do it without any risk of being punished: · If you see others breaking the law with impunity, you may be tempted to do the same.· The previous regime was corrupt, and government officials were able to flout the law with impunity.
if bad behaviour, crime etc goes unpunished, the person who behaved badly or did something wrong is not punished for it: · Guards involved in drug deals went unpunished.· Hate crimes will not be tolerated and will not go unpunished.
to make someone unconscious by hitting them
· There was a fight, and Mark was knocked unconscious.knock somebody out · I hit him on the jaw and knocked him out.knock out somebody · Louis knocked out his opponent in the first round.knock somebody out cold · The impact was so sudden and so fierce, it knocked me out cold.
to hit someone repeatedly until they become unconscious: · Murphy was attacked by two men and beaten unconscious.· She was beaten senseless and left for dead.
to make someone unconscious for a short time so that they do not know where they are, what is happening etc: · They had only intended to stun the guard, to give them time to escape.· Gamekeepers use special darts to stun the rhinos.
WORD SETS
ablaze, adjectiveacoustic, adjectiveacoustics, nounaglow, adjectivebaa, verbbabble, verbbabble, nounbabel, nounbaby talk, nounbackfire, verbbackground, nounbang, nounbang, verbbang, interjectionbark, verbbark, nounbattle cry, nounbay, verbbeat, verbbeat, nounbellow, verbbellow, nounblare, verbblast, nounbleat, verbbleep, nounbleep, verbblip, nounbong, nounboom, nounboom, verbbowwow, interjectionbrassy, adjectivebray, verbbrazen, adjectivebreathy, adjectivebubble, verbbump, nounchatter, verbchatter, nounclink, verbclink, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncrackle, verbcrackling, nouncrash, verbcrash, nouncreak, verbcreaky, adjectivecroak, verbcroak, nouncrow, nouncrow, verbcrunch, nouncrunch, verbding-dong, noundiscord, noundiscordant, adjectivedrone, verbdrone, noundrown, verbdrum, verbdrumbeat, noundrumming, noundull, adjectiveecho, verbecho, nounfizz, verbflat, adjectivefootfall, nounfootstep, nounfusillade, noungrinding, adjectivegroan, verbgroan, noungrunt, verbgrunt, nounguffaw, verbgunshot, nounguttural, adjectivehigh, adjectivehigh, adverbhiss, verbindistinct, adjectiveirregular, adjectivelow, verbmarbled, adjectivematching, adjectivemellow, adjectivemelodic, adjectivemelodious, adjectivemetallic, adjectivemoan, verbmoan, nounmodulate, verbmonotone, nounmoo, verbmurmur, verbmurmur, nounmusical, adjectivemusically, adverbmute, verbnasal, adjectivenoise, nounoink, interjectionoof, interjectionpatter, verbpatter, nounpeal, nounpeal, verbpenetrating, adjectivepercussion, nounpsychedelic, adjectivepulse, nounputter, verbquack, verbquack, nounquaver, nounracket, nounrasp, verbrasp, nounraspberry, nounrat-a-tat, nounrattle, nounraucous, adjectivereedy, adjectivereport, nounresonance, nounresonant, adjectiveresonate, verbresonator, nounresound, verbresounding, adjectivereverberate, verbreverberation, nounrich, adjectivering, nounring, verbringing, adjectiveripple, verbripple, nounroar, nounroaring, adjectiveroll, verbrough, adjectiverustle, verbrustle, nounscratch, verbscratch, nounscream, verbscream, nounscrunch, verbsmoky, adjectivesnarl, verbsoft, adjectivesoft-spoken, adjectivesonorous, adjectivesotto voce, adverbsplosh, verbsweet, adjectiveswoosh, verbtick-tock, nountinny, adjectivetonal, adjectivevivid, adjectivevowel, nounwail, verbweak, adjectivewhack, nounwham, interjectionwhine, verbwhinny, verbwhirr, verbwhistle, verbwhistle, nounyelp, nounyowl, verbzoom, noun
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadverbs
· Jason easily beats me at chess every time we play.
(=by only a few points, votes etc)· New Zealand narrowly beat the Springboks in South Africa.
(=by more than a few points, votes etc)· He comfortably beat the second placed candidate.
(=by a lot of points, votes etc)· In each event she soundly beat her opponents.
(=beat someone very easily)· He should be able to beat them all hands down.
(=by a lot of points, votes etc)· There’s no point trying to offer excuses as to why we were so comprehensively beaten.
(=in a way that clearly shows someone deserves to win)· Mexico convincingly beat Brazil 2–0.
phrases
· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· She beat off competition from dozens of other candidates to get the job.
(=make it thicker by beating it)· Whip the cream until it is thick and light.
· new measures to beat car crime
· He was stabbed to death in an attack outside his home.
 Arsenal were deservedly beaten 2–1 by Leeds.
 1,000 people marched, beating drums and carrying flags.
(=music that sounds good) Check out these fat beats.
· Her heart was beating fast.
 I stupidly let myself be persuaded to take part in a live debate.
(=succeed despite great difficulties)· The baby, born sixteen weeks too early, defied the odds and is celebrating her first birthday.
· His pulse began to beat with a fierce rhythm.
· The rhythm was steady, as regular as a pulse beat.
(=it falls or hits something with a lot of force)· Isabel listened to the rain beating down.
(=do better or be greater than an existing record)· He broke the world record twice.
 I saw my aunt coming and beat a hasty retreat.
 He had been beaten senseless.
 Napoleon threatened to starve the country into submission.
(=shines with a lot of light and heat)· The sun beats down on us as we work.
(=be forced to accept defeat or a bad situation) Small businesses took a hammering in the last recession.
 Levin was knocked unconscious by the impact.
(=move them in a regular way while flying)· The female beats her wings as fast as 500 times a second.
· Their great wings beat slowly.
 He set a new world record for the marathon.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
· Don't beat about the bush.· A whole army of Girl Scouts out beating the bush.· Eliot did not beat about the bush.· Neither will beat the bushes for new ways to earn or save money.· She winced at their infelicities, at the clumsy way they beat about the bush.· It was Moua who organized housing for Hmong newcomers, Moua who beat the bushes for jobs.· I am not a person to beat about the bush.· Let us stop beating about the bush.
· Women are told it's prostitution or a beating, or death.· Why, given what had happened, I might as well have beaten Papa to death with a club.· So she locked them in a coat closet where they beat each other half to death in the dark for twenty minutes.· In the minutes that followed, McDuffie was beaten to death by a group of Dade County police officers.· We don't see gays being beaten to death in our country because of their sexuality.· In Westport, a 3-year-old boy was beaten to death after wetting his pants, authorities allege.· The 76 year old pensioner was beaten to death last Thursday in the pet shop where he worked part time.· And when he himself was nearly beaten to death.
· Now, when Tallis listened hard, she could hear a drum being beaten as a warning.· Gary reaches for a drum and beats it briefly and harshly.· Trumpets sounded, drums beat, whips cracked, mules squealed, and teamsters cursed.· The jungle drums were beating again.· Trumpets blew all the time, and drums were beating.· In every village drums were beating, soldiers marching.
· Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the melted margarine and the beaten egg.· Add the remaining flour mixture to the shortening mixture alternating with the beaten egg.· Sieve the cottage cheese, or pur e in a food processor or liquidiser and beat in the egg and milk.· Combine beaten egg with mayonnaise in small bowl.· Season, remove from the heat and beat in the egg. 7.· At medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating for two minutes after each addition.· Cream the margarine and sugar and beat in the eggs.· Brush lightly with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
· And you can't do that by beating them over the head with clichéd, didactic behaviour.· The members know perfectly well that they will be beaten over the head with any yes vote at the next election.· Talking to Rourke Deveraugh was like beating her head against a hard wooden post.· Passing beneath it, Crevecoeur was reminded of a violent storm of hail beating upon his head.· Elsewhere, individual protesters were being held down while Mosley's guards beat them over the head and about the face.· They skimmed low, passing so close to Simon that their wings beat at his head.· She said he tied her up and beat her in the head with a hammer.
· Piers took a step towards her, and she felt her body tense and her heart begin to beat quickly.· Just being there made my heart beat faster.· People can take part by doing any physical activity that makes the heart beat faster and lasts for 15 minutes.· My head was resting against his chest and I felt his heart beating against my eye and cheek.· The heart beats thick, Big trout muscle out of the dead cold.· His heart beat dully at the very thought of what he was about to do.· And in Dusseldorf police said a member of the Republican party suffered a heart attack after being beaten up by demonstrators.· Tots fell silent; birds stopped chirping; you could hear hearts beating amid the chattering teeth.
· The students - and their professors - beat a path to his door.· Most of the sites the company has in mind to visit are far off any beaten path.· It has become such an attraction that local tour operators are beating a path to its door.· Soon it is not going to be so easy to get off the beaten path.· The company is now just waiting for the world to beat a well-worn path to its door.· To say that Crenshaw is off the beaten path is an understatement.· They were beating a clear path.· I called on the Birth Grandmother to help me beat a path through the honyaek to the windows.
· If the backs had taken all their chances, Quins might have beaten Gloucester's record 80-point Cup win over Exeter.· You hear the first two beats of a record and you kind of get a sense of it.· We want to beat his record and any others that are going ... and to win for his family.· History is taking a beating and sacrosanct tour records are being kept in pencil.· It took more than a thousand participants to make it happen, beating the previous record by thirty-five.· The 11-month total beats the previous full-year record, set in 1993.· Jurassic Park beat the record set by Batman Returns, which took £31.8m in its first four days.· He cleared 2.68m to beat the previous record of 2.67m set by Paul Parker of Cumbria.
· Then, thanking him, I beat a hasty retreat to the sacristy door and knocked.· Appointees interviewed repeated a familiar theme: They all loved their jobs but are beating a retreat without regret.· Any females which are not ripe will either stay away or beat a hasty retreat.· With decks awash with diesel we beat a hasty retreat back to Lerwick.· They were forced to beat a hasty retreat and arrived at their rendezvous with Morris's patrol on time.· Objects and fantasy are then used not as a means of venturing out, but to beat a retreat.· He beat a hasty retreat when he spotted me approaching, but it was not hasty enough.
· The home team has not beaten the Scarlets for some dozen matches and should still have their work cut out to win.· But UMass still won on the road against a team that should have beaten it.· In another very close team event Wallasey just beat the Menai Straits one design club by a quarter point.· The team that beat them by a point at the Forum on Jan. 2.· Look at the teams we've beaten - nothing special, any of them.· White acknowledged his team simply beat itself, in all areas of the game.· With everyone emerging from the League Cup tie unscathed Coyle will no doubt field the team that beat Monaghan.· On any given Sunday, the regular teams can beat you.
· I had a case of a Pathan family where the husband used to beat his wife all the time.· It doesn't matter if they beat their wife.· For instance, it's the custom to beat the wife.· And Symington stopped beating his wife, too.· Another top star of the seventies, David Soul, beat up his wife.· Edward Laufer did not testify, but has denied beating his wife.· The court was told that he beat his wife unconscious before pushing her and her car into a river.· A man who beats his wife is still human.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
  • As a great place for a vacation, Florida takes some beating.
  • Schumacher has a twelve-second lead, which will take some beating.
  • And the valley of the River Wharfe takes some beating.
  • As family Christmasses go, the gruesome Moons in their storm-lashed failing farm take some beating.
  • As far as awful games go this one takes some beating.
  • Did they complain about the Fujitsu factory, which takes some beating when one is considering eyesores?
  • For sheer enjoyment of climbing at this standard the routes on the Clapis sector the Dentelles de Montmirail take some beating.
  • For styling and interior comfort, both for pilots and passengers, it certainly takes some beating.
  • He is sure to take some beating with more enterprising tactics and can hand out a lesson in the New University Maiden.
  • Don't beat about the bush.
  • Eliot did not beat about the bush.
  • I am not a person to beat about the bush.
  • I meant to be open with him but when it came to it I beat about the bush.
  • Let us stop beating about the bush.
  • No need to beat about the bush sweetie.
  • She winced at their infelicities, at the clumsy way they beat about the bush.
  • Gomez tried to beat the system by moving his money between his bank and investment accounts.
  • There's a limit on how much luggage you can take on a plane, but there are ways to beat the system.
  • A special unit will be set up to stop crooks beating the system.
  • Available as both saloon and fastback, the Rover 820 Si 16v is designed to beat the system on two counts.
  • If we can not beat the system, how can we get it to work for us?
  • Prosecutors have warned that broader use of lie detectors will only give criminals another way to beat the system.
  • The brazen response of some was to smirk, for beating the system-any system-was a legitimate aspiration.
  • Very few beat the system and those who did were not much encouraged by Bloomsbury House.
  • You can't beat the system and shouldn't want to, because it represents a co-operative progress towards shared goals.
  • People are going to beat a path from all over to play these golf courses.
  • Any females which are not ripe will either stay away or beat a hasty retreat.
  • Appointees interviewed repeated a familiar theme: They all loved their jobs but are beating a retreat without regret.
  • He beat a hasty retreat when he spotted me approaching, but it was not hasty enough.
  • Objects and fantasy are then used not as a means of venturing out, but to beat a retreat.
  • Then, thanking him, I beat a hasty retreat to the sacristy door and knocked.
  • They were forced to beat a hasty retreat and arrived at their rendezvous with Morris's patrol on time.
  • With decks awash with diesel we beat a hasty retreat back to Lerwick.
  • Secondly, it has to beat the clock.
  • Sometimes I wake early to beat the clock.
  • Their aim - to beat the clock and each other in a competition to find the fastest draw in the country.
  • Use a timer and ask the student to beat the clock.
  • It beats me how these kids can afford to spend so much money on clothes and CDs.
  • How do you measure such a thing? Beats me.
  • If he beats me at this game, well, he beats me.
  • Pretty secluded. Beats me what he does.
  • There's only one thing beats me.
  • Though why he wants to call himself a doctor beats me.
  • Though why the Good Lord didn't strike Durham itself beats me, instead of causing us all this trouble.
  • Well, I don't fight, he beats me up - it's my fault, I provoke him.
  • Go on, you kids! Beat it! Now!
  • All I can remember of her as a baby is how much she loved butter. Can you beat that?
  • Agricultural machinery, can you beat that?
  • But can they beat it consistently?
  • Can you beat that man, Senna?
  • Why should you beat your brains out fighting the environmentalists?
  • Seven hours of beating your brains out when you weren't feeling all that hot to begin with.
  • Shall we beat their brains out in court?
► if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em
  • Frye was arrested on state and federal charges, but he managed to beat the rap.
  • He's been arrested on federal charges three times and has beaten the rap every time.
  • He's been indicted three times, but beat the rap each time.
  • a conductor beating time with his baton
  • At one stage, he joined her, pacing with her, beating time with one hand.
  • In employment systems, after all, people are not mustered to play together as their manager beats time.
  • It is not true that elsewhere they obey it without beating it, since one beats time wherever choruses are sung.
  • Significantly, he follows the use of conducteur by recalling more recent occasions on which he beat time.
  • The lord began to tap his foot and beat time with his hand against his thigh.
  • I called on the Birth Grandmother to help me beat a path through the honyaek to the windows.
  • It has become such an attraction that local tour operators are beating a path to its door.
  • Most of the sites the company has in mind to visit are far off any beaten path.
  • Sights sight that's off the beaten track or when time is include Stratford-upon-Avon, Hadrian's Wall, limited.
  • Soon it is not going to be so easy to get off the beaten path.
  • The students - and their professors - beat a path to his door.
  • They are off the beaten track.
  • To say that Crenshaw is off the beaten path is an understatement.
  • It's raining to beat the band.
  • Strawberries in wine is a festive way to beat the heat.
  • We were up and off early to beat the heat.
► beat your breast► beat the door down
  • I beat him down and got the bracelet for $2.
  • The owners originally wanted $1000 for the horse, but George managed to beat them down to $850.
► beat somebody ↔ down► beat somebody/something ↔ off► beat somebody ↔ up
  • I used to beat up on my brothers when we were kids.
  • Everybody beat up on him because he made the team.
  • She's never going to get anywhere if she tries to beat up on males, especially a catch like me.
  • There was no need to take the time to beat up on the new pioneers.
  • They just love beating up on architects.
► beat yourself upPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • Cavalli had no difficulty knocking the work of other composers into a cocked hat.
► beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody► bang/beat the drum for somebody/something► win (something)/beat somebody fair and square
  • In the word "spoken," the stress falls on the first syllable.
► beat somebody at their own game► somebody’s heart misses/skips a beat
  • And I said, beats the hell out of me.
  • Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
  • It scared the hell out of me.
  • Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
  • Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
  • There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
  • Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
  • Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
► beat/thrash etc somebody to within an inch of their life
  • Cuomo answered the reporters' questions without missing a beat.
  • They can present, explain, and deliver our solutions without missing a beat.
  • Woody Harrelson came in for the late Nicholas Colasanto without missing a beat.
  • When Caroline smiled at Eddie, his heart missed a beat.
  • She beat the pants off me last time we played.
  • He is aware of his competitors-and he beats the pants off them.
► turn/beat swords into ploughshares
  • Attempting to beat some one to a pulp would be described in these terms.
  • But when Alvin came back I thought he was going to beat me to a pulp.
  • Hitachi has beaten their competition to the punch with a new line of mainframe computers.
  • Bernie, it might be a good idea if you beat them to the punch.
  • Master Yehudi had beaten me to the punch again.
► beat the rap
  • Officials beat a hasty retreat as reporters shouted questions.
  • Appointees interviewed repeated a familiar theme: They all loved their jobs but are beating a retreat without regret.
  • Objects and fantasy are then used not as a means of venturing out, but to beat a retreat.
  • I had to pretend, because he was beating the shit out of me.
  • Like in the Teamsters, where they beat the shit out of people in parking lots.
  • In Hayward, a proposed library improvement tax was soundly defeated.
  • Synthonia are now the only side without a win after they were soundly beaten at Blackhall.
  • The Republicans were soundly defeated in the South, even in places where there were voting black majorities.
  • They were led by a fanatical chieftain named Yusuf and Alfonso was soundly defeated at the battle of Sagrajas.
  • When it came up for a vote in March, it was soundly defeated.
► a stick to beat somebody with► turn/beat swords into ploughshares
  • At one stage, he joined her, pacing with her, beating time with one hand.
  • In employment systems, after all, people are not mustered to play together as their manager beats time.
  • It is not true that elsewhere they obey it without beating it, since one beats time wherever choruses are sung.
  • It starts lean and mean, just a slash of overdriven guitar with tambourine keeping time.
  • The lord began to tap his foot and beat time with his hand against his thigh.
  • They are likened by Leibniz to a series of clocks that manage to keep time without being connected.
  • They were often unable to keep time to within fifteen minutes a day and were frequently out of order.
  • Tidy time keep time on your side and all your bills in order with this hand clip clock.
  • Sympathetic typifications of Catholics do little to lessen the obvious problem of being attacked while walking the beat.
  • You'd be walking the beat and you'd see some kid with his backside hanging out of his trousers.
Word family
WORD FAMILYnounbeatbeatingadjectivebeatable ≠ unbeatablebeaten ≠ unbeatenverbbeat
1competition/election [transitive] to get the most points, votes etc in a game, race, or competition SYN  defeat:  Brazil were beaten 2–1. Labour easily beat the Conservatives in the last election.beat somebody at/in something I beat him more often at pool than he beats me.beat somebody hollow British English, beat the pants off somebody American English (=defeat them easily)2hit [transitive] to hit someone or something many times with your hand, a stick etc:  photographs of rioters beating a policeman He was questioned and beaten. The woman had been beaten to death by her husband. Two prisoners were beaten unconscious.beat somebody black and blue (=hit someone until it makes marks on their body)beat the living daylights out of somebody (=beat someone very hard)► see thesaurus at hit3hit against [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit against something many times or continuouslybeat on/against/at etc Waves beat against the cliffs. rain beating on the windows Sid beat on the door with his hand.4do better [transitive] to do something better, faster etc than what was best beforebeat a record/score etc The record set by Kierson in '84 has yet to be beaten. The company’s profits are unlikely to beat last year’s £10 million.5be better [transitive not in progressive] especially spoken to be much better and more enjoyable than something else:  Fresh milk beats powdered milk any time.beat doing something ‘Well,’ said Culley, ‘it beats going to the office.’ You can’t beat swimming as a good all-body exercise. Nothing beats homemade cake.you can’t beat something (for something) For excitement, you just can’t beat college basketball.6food [intransitive, transitive] to mix things together quickly with a fork or special kitchen machine:  Beat the eggs, then add the milk.beat something in Gradually beat in the sugar.beat something together Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.► see thesaurus at mix7control/deal with [transitive] to successfully deal with a problem that you have been struggling with SYN  conquer:  advice on how to beat depression the government’s long fight to beat inflation8heart [intransitive] when your heart beats, it moves in a regular rhythm as it pumps your blood:  The average person’s heart beats 70 times a minute. Jennifer’s heart was beating fast.9drums [intransitive, transitive] if you beat drums, or if drums beat, they make a regular continuous sound10wings [intransitive, transitive] if a bird beats its wings, or if its wings beat, they move up and down quickly and regularly SYN  flap11take some beating if something or someone will take some beating, it will be difficult for anyone or anything to be or do better:  Raikkonen has 42 points, which will take some beating. Florida takes some beating as a vacation destination.12avoid [transitive] to avoid situations in which a lot of people are trying to do something, usually by doing something early:  We left at four a.m. to beat the traffic. Shopping by mail order lets you beat the queues. Shop now and beat the Christmas rush!13do before somebody else [transitive] informal to get or do something before someone else, especially if you are both trying to do it firstbeat somebody to something John had beaten me to the breakfast table. I wanted the last piece of pie, but somebody beat me to it. They wanted to make it into a film, but another studio beat them to the punch.14beat about/around the bush to avoid or delay talking about something embarrassing or unpleasant:  Don’t beat around the bush. Ask for your account to be paid, and paid quickly.15beat the system to find ways of avoiding or breaking the rules of an organization, system etc, in order to achieve what you want:  Accountants know a few ways to beat the system.16beat a path to somebody’s door (also beat down somebody’s door) if people beat a path to your door, they are interested in something you are selling, a service you are providing etc:  The new design was supposed to have consumers beating a path to their door.17beat a (hasty) retreat to leave somewhere or stop doing something very quickly, in order to avoid a bad situation:  He beat a hasty retreat when he spotted me.18beat the clock to finish something very quickly, especially before a particular time:  The company managed to beat the clock on delivering its new system.SPOKEN PHRASES19(it) beats me used to say that you do not know something, or cannot understand or explain it:  Beats me why he wants such a big car. ‘What’s he saying?’ ‘Beats me.’20beat it! used to tell someone to leave at once, because they are annoying you or should not be there21can you beat that/it? used to show that you are surprised or annoyed by something:  They’ve got eight children! Can you beat that?22beat your brains out to think about something very hard and for a long time:  I’ve been beating my brains out all week trying to finish this essay.23if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em used when you decide to take part in something even though you disapprove of it, because everyone else is doing it and you cannot stop them24beat the rap American English informal to avoid being punished for something you have done25beat time to make regular movements or sounds to show the speed at which music should be played:  a conductor beating time with his baton26beat a path/track to make a path by walking over an area of land27to beat the band American English informal in large amounts or with great force:  It’s raining to beat the band.28beat the heat American English informal to make yourself cooler:  Fresh lemonade is a great way to beat the heat.29metal (also beat out) [transitive] to hit metal with a hammer in order to shape it or make it thinner30hunting [intransitive, transitive] to force wild birds and animals out of bushes, long grass etc so that they can be shot for sport31beat your breast literary to show clearly that you are very upset or sorry about something → beaten, beatingCOLLOCATIONSadverbseasily beat somebody· Jason easily beats me at chess every time we play.narrowly beat somebody (=by only a few points, votes etc)· New Zealand narrowly beat the Springboks in South Africa.comfortably beat somebody (=by more than a few points, votes etc)· He comfortably beat the second placed candidate.soundly beat somebody (=by a lot of points, votes etc)· In each event she soundly beat her opponents.beat somebody hands down (=beat someone very easily)· He should be able to beat them all hands down.comprehensively beat somebody (=by a lot of points, votes etc)· There’s no point trying to offer excuses as to why we were so comprehensively beaten.convincingly beat somebody (=in a way that clearly shows someone deserves to win)· Mexico convincingly beat Brazil 2–0.phrasesbeat somebody into second/third etc place· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.THESAURUSbeat to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English: · We should have beaten them easily.· I always beat my brother at tennis.defeat to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing: · England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.· Bush defeated Kerry in the election.trounce /traʊns/ to defeat someone completely in a game: · They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.thrash British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game: · Of course, they totally creamed the other team.· I hope we thrash them!wipe the floor with somebody informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument: · She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.· They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.beat down phrasal verb1if the sun beats down, it shines very brightly and the weather is hot2if the rain beats down, it is raining very hard3beat the door down to hit a door so hard that it falls down4beat somebody down British English to persuade someone to reduce a pricebeat down to He wanted £4,500 for the car, but I beat him down to £3,850.5beat somebody ↔ down to make someone feel defeated, so they no longer respect themselves:  The women seemed beaten down.beat off phrasal verb1beat somebody/something ↔ off to succeed in defeating someone who is attacking, opposing, or competing with you:  McConnell beat off a challenge for his Senate seat.2 American English informal not polite if a man beats off, he masturbatesbeat somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb1if a drum or something else beats out a rhythm, or if you beat out a rhythm on a drum, it makes a continuous regular sound2especially American English to defeat someone in a competition:  Lockheed beat out a rival company to win the contract.beat out for Roberts beat out Tony Gwynn for the Most Valuable Player Award.3to put out a fire by hitting it many times with something such as a clothbeat up phrasal verb1beat somebody ↔ up to hurt someone badly by hitting them:  Her boyfriend got drunk and beat her up.2beat up on somebody American English to hit someone and harm them, especially someone younger or weaker than yourself3 beat yourself up (also beat up on yourself American English) informal to blame yourself too much for something:  If you do your best and you lose, you can’t beat yourself up about it.
beat1 verbbeat2 nounbeat3 adjective
beatbeat2 ●●○ S3 noun Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
  • Jessica moved her hips to the beat of the music.
  • journalists covering the political beat
  • Their new song has a good beat that you can dance to.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • But beat duty was of course not the only punitive experience for the rank-and-file policeman.
  • But for some beat constables, there was another possibility.
  • I could hear the rapid beat of his heart and him breathing all funny.
  • Multiply the number of beats by six to get the number of heart beats per minute.
  • My heart lurched and seemed to miss a beat, but I went on reading calmly, though the print was blurred.
  • Police on the beat are feeling increasingly vulnerable.
  • The beat was the only genuinely musical element in it, of course.
  • The more rum punch, the better the beat!
Thesaurus
THESAURUSpreparing food
to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool: · Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid: · Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces): · Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife: · Chop up the vegetables.
to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces: · Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
to add salt, pepper etc to food: · Season the meat before grilling.
to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder: · Add one clove of crushed garlic.
to combine different foods together: · Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool: · Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
to turn food around with a spoon: · Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
to gently mix another substance into a mixture: · Fold in the beaten egg whites.
to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread: · Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something: · Drizzle with olive oil.
to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it: · Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
to put different foods together as part of a meal: · Serve with rice and a salad.· Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
Longman Language Activatorto beat someone in a game, competition, election etc
to get more points, votes etc than an opposing team or political party: · Do you think the Socialists will beat the Liberals in the election?· Brazil beat Italy in the final.· Lewis was a tough boxer, and a hard man to beat.beat somebody at something: · My Father used to let me beat him at chess.beat somebody by 20 points/5 seconds/50 votes etc: · The Swedish runner beat the Canadian by just under two seconds.beat somebody 3-1/84 to 61/etc: · The Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-3.
especially written to get more points, votes etc than an opposing team, person, or political party. Defeat is more formal than beat .: · For the sixth consecutive year, Oxford defeated Cambridge today in the annual boat race.· Polk of California was defeated by a Democratic challenger in the last election.defeat somebody by 20 points/two goals to one etc: · Sanchez defeated Dornan by just 984 votes.
especially British, spoken to defeat an opponent or team in a game - use this especially about opponents or teams of a similar ability: · She's determined not to let Smith, her fiercest rival, get the better of her.
to easily beat your opponent in a game, especially when people were not expecting you to: · I thought I might beat Tracy at tennis but she was more than a match for me.· The Russian president has once again proved more than a match for his political adversaries.
to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc
informal to completely beat someone in a game, competition, election etc: · Wow, the Raiders just slaughtered the Seahawks again.· The party strategy was to form an alliance to crush the communists.
informal also cream American spoken to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc: · We've been clobbered twice now by Central High's basketball team.· Chicago hammered Boston in an away game on Saturday.· "How'd the game go?" "We creamed 'em!"
especially British to beat an opposing team or political party easily and completely: · The Australians have once again routed the English cricket team.
informal to defeat someone completely in an argument or competition: · I'd think twice before I started a fight with him - he'd wipe the floor with me!
to play much better than an opponent or team in a game and beat them easily: · Ohio outplayed Michigan, especially in the fourth quarter, winning by 14 points.
to defeat an enemy in war
to completely defeat an enemy's army because your armed forces are much larger, have better equipment etc: · The army was well-trained and well-armed, and had little difficulty defeating the rebels.heavily defeat: · The Republicans were heavily defeated in the Spanish Civil War.
to completely defeat an enemy's army because your armed forces are much larger, have better equipment etc: · Napoleon's army was strong enough to overwhelm nearly any potential enemy.· With its greatly superior technology, the government forces completely overwhelmed the rebels.
to completely defeat an enemy's army in a war and to destroy all their armed forces: · After a long and bloody battle the army succeeded in annihilating Seged's forces.· In 1945 Japan was helpless, with its military power annihilated.
to completely defeat an enemy's army in battle: · The general was killed and his armies were routed in a magnificent cavalry charge.
to cause the final defeat of an enemy, especially after a long war, so that they are too weak to fight back: · The disastrous Battle of the Boyne finally brought the Catholics to their knees.· After years of trench warfare, the Kaiser's army had finally been brought to its knees.
to completely defeat the armed forces of an enemy country, with the result that you have complete control over it: · Sailors travelled to the New World with the urge to conquer and explore.· Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, which we know today as France.
to beat someone by using your intelligence
to get an advantage over someone that you are fighting or competing against, by using clever tricks and planning rather than by force: · We can't fight them. We'll just have to try and outsmart them.· None of the thieves wanted to admit that they had been outwitted by a couple of teenagers.
also be too smart for especially American if you are too clever or too smart for someone, they have tried to trick you but you realized what they were doing and stopped them succeeding: · Molly tried to hide the presents but the children were too clever for her and found them within minutes.
when someone is beaten
a situation in which a person, army, political party etc is defeated: · After his third successive election defeat he decided to retire from politics.suffer a defeat: · In the last game of the season they suffered a humiliating defeat, losing 7-0 to Real Madrid.
a situation in which a person, army, political party etc is easily defeated: · The game was a rout, with the home team winning by 10 goals to nil.
a situation in which a person, team, political party etc is defeated badly: · Gramm's drubbing by Davis in the California primary has badly hurt his campaign.take a drubbing: · The Lions took a drubbing from the Eagles last night, losing 58-37.
music
the sounds made by people singing or playing musical instruments, or the art and skill of writing, playing, or singing these sounds: · What kinds of music do you like?· The music was so loud you couldn't carry on a conversation.· Would you like to listen to some music?· The Royal College of Music· Did you study music at school?live music (=music that is not recorded): · The club has live music every Saturday night.rock/pop/country/classical etc music: · I've never been a big fan of country music.
relating to music: · Do you play a musical instrument?· Her teachers told her she had no musical ability whatsoever.· O'Connor uses a wide variety of musical styles in his performances.
a single musical sound: · It is amazing how expressive she makes each note sound.· Some of the singers had a little trouble with the high notes.
the main series of notes in a piece of music - use this especially when you think it is nice to listen to: · The music box plays the tune "Send in the Clowns."· I've heard that tune before, but I don't know the words to the song.
the main series of notes in a piece of music that has many lines being played at the same time: · The song has a simple melody and beautiful lyrics.· Melody is not the central element in Martino's compositions - rhythm is more important.
the chords or lines of music that accompany (=support) the melody: · The harmonies in her symphonies are wonderfully rich.· All first year music students are required to take a class in harmony.
a pattern of beats in music, that comes from the arrangement of the notes, the time between them, and the emphasis each note is given: · You need to feel the rhythm of the music in order to dance properly.· The band's music is known for its fiery Latin rhythms.
the main rhythm that a piece of music has: · Jessica moved her hips to the beat of the music.· Their new song has a good beat that you can dance to.
WORD SETS
ablaze, adjectiveacoustic, adjectiveacoustics, nounaglow, adjectivebaa, verbbabble, verbbabble, nounbabel, nounbaby talk, nounbackfire, verbbackground, nounbang, nounbang, verbbang, interjectionbark, verbbark, nounbattle cry, nounbay, verbbeat, verbbeat, nounbellow, verbbellow, nounblare, verbblast, nounbleat, verbbleep, nounbleep, verbblip, nounbong, nounboom, nounboom, verbbowwow, interjectionbrassy, adjectivebray, verbbrazen, adjectivebreathy, adjectivebubble, verbbump, nounchatter, verbchatter, nounclink, verbclink, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncrackle, verbcrackling, nouncrash, verbcrash, nouncreak, verbcreaky, adjectivecroak, verbcroak, nouncrow, nouncrow, verbcrunch, nouncrunch, verbding-dong, noundiscord, noundiscordant, adjectivedrone, verbdrone, noundrown, verbdrum, verbdrumbeat, noundrumming, noundull, adjectiveecho, verbecho, nounfizz, verbflat, adjectivefootfall, nounfootstep, nounfusillade, noungrinding, adjectivegroan, verbgroan, noungrunt, verbgrunt, nounguffaw, verbgunshot, nounguttural, adjectivehigh, adjectivehigh, adverbhiss, verbindistinct, adjectiveirregular, adjectivelow, verbmarbled, adjectivematching, adjectivemellow, adjectivemelodic, adjectivemelodious, adjectivemetallic, adjectivemoan, verbmoan, nounmodulate, verbmonotone, nounmoo, verbmurmur, verbmurmur, nounmusical, adjectivemusically, adverbmute, verbnasal, adjectivenoise, nounoink, interjectionoof, interjectionpatter, verbpatter, nounpeal, nounpeal, verbpenetrating, adjectivepercussion, nounpsychedelic, adjectivepulse, nounputter, verbquack, verbquack, nounquaver, nounracket, nounrasp, verbrasp, nounraspberry, nounrat-a-tat, nounrattle, nounraucous, adjectivereedy, adjectivereport, nounresonance, nounresonant, adjectiveresonate, verbresonator, nounresound, verbresounding, adjectivereverberate, verbreverberation, nounrich, adjectivering, nounring, verbringing, adjectiveripple, verbripple, nounroar, nounroaring, adjectiveroll, verbrough, adjectiverustle, verbrustle, nounscratch, verbscratch, nounscream, verbscream, nounscrunch, verbsmoky, adjectivesnarl, verbsoft, adjectivesoft-spoken, adjectivesonorous, adjectivesotto voce, adverbsplosh, verbsweet, adjectiveswoosh, verbtick-tock, nountinny, adjectivetonal, adjectivevivid, adjectivevowel, nounwail, verbweak, adjectivewhack, nounwham, interjectionwhine, verbwhinny, verbwhirr, verbwhistle, verbwhistle, nounyelp, nounyowl, verbzoom, noun
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· She beat off competition from dozens of other candidates to get the job.
(=make it thicker by beating it)· Whip the cream until it is thick and light.
· new measures to beat car crime
· He was stabbed to death in an attack outside his home.
 Arsenal were deservedly beaten 2–1 by Leeds.
 1,000 people marched, beating drums and carrying flags.
(=music that sounds good) Check out these fat beats.
· Her heart was beating fast.
 I stupidly let myself be persuaded to take part in a live debate.
(=succeed despite great difficulties)· The baby, born sixteen weeks too early, defied the odds and is celebrating her first birthday.
· His pulse began to beat with a fierce rhythm.
· The rhythm was steady, as regular as a pulse beat.
(=it falls or hits something with a lot of force)· Isabel listened to the rain beating down.
(=do better or be greater than an existing record)· He broke the world record twice.
 I saw my aunt coming and beat a hasty retreat.
 He had been beaten senseless.
 Napoleon threatened to starve the country into submission.
(=shines with a lot of light and heat)· The sun beats down on us as we work.
(=be forced to accept defeat or a bad situation) Small businesses took a hammering in the last recession.
 Levin was knocked unconscious by the impact.
(=move them in a regular way while flying)· The female beats her wings as fast as 500 times a second.
· Their great wings beat slowly.
 He set a new world record for the marathon.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • Cavalli had no difficulty knocking the work of other composers into a cocked hat.
► beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody► bang/beat the drum for somebody/something► win (something)/beat somebody fair and square
  • In the word "spoken," the stress falls on the first syllable.
► beat somebody at their own game► somebody’s heart misses/skips a beat
  • And I said, beats the hell out of me.
  • Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
  • It scared the hell out of me.
  • Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
  • Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
  • There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
  • Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
  • Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
► beat/thrash etc somebody to within an inch of their life
  • Cuomo answered the reporters' questions without missing a beat.
  • They can present, explain, and deliver our solutions without missing a beat.
  • Woody Harrelson came in for the late Nicholas Colasanto without missing a beat.
  • When Caroline smiled at Eddie, his heart missed a beat.
  • She beat the pants off me last time we played.
  • He is aware of his competitors-and he beats the pants off them.
► turn/beat swords into ploughshares
  • Attempting to beat some one to a pulp would be described in these terms.
  • But when Alvin came back I thought he was going to beat me to a pulp.
  • Hitachi has beaten their competition to the punch with a new line of mainframe computers.
  • Bernie, it might be a good idea if you beat them to the punch.
  • Master Yehudi had beaten me to the punch again.
► beat the rap
  • Officials beat a hasty retreat as reporters shouted questions.
  • Appointees interviewed repeated a familiar theme: They all loved their jobs but are beating a retreat without regret.
  • Objects and fantasy are then used not as a means of venturing out, but to beat a retreat.
  • I had to pretend, because he was beating the shit out of me.
  • Like in the Teamsters, where they beat the shit out of people in parking lots.
  • In Hayward, a proposed library improvement tax was soundly defeated.
  • Synthonia are now the only side without a win after they were soundly beaten at Blackhall.
  • The Republicans were soundly defeated in the South, even in places where there were voting black majorities.
  • They were led by a fanatical chieftain named Yusuf and Alfonso was soundly defeated at the battle of Sagrajas.
  • When it came up for a vote in March, it was soundly defeated.
► a stick to beat somebody with► turn/beat swords into ploughshares
  • At one stage, he joined her, pacing with her, beating time with one hand.
  • In employment systems, after all, people are not mustered to play together as their manager beats time.
  • It is not true that elsewhere they obey it without beating it, since one beats time wherever choruses are sung.
  • It starts lean and mean, just a slash of overdriven guitar with tambourine keeping time.
  • The lord began to tap his foot and beat time with his hand against his thigh.
  • They are likened by Leibniz to a series of clocks that manage to keep time without being connected.
  • They were often unable to keep time to within fifteen minutes a day and were frequently out of order.
  • Tidy time keep time on your side and all your bills in order with this hand clip clock.
  • Sympathetic typifications of Catholics do little to lessen the obvious problem of being attacked while walking the beat.
  • You'd be walking the beat and you'd see some kid with his backside hanging out of his trousers.
Word family
WORD FAMILYnounbeatbeatingadjectivebeatable ≠ unbeatablebeaten ≠ unbeatenverbbeat
1[countable] one of a series of regular movements or hitting actions:  a heart rate of 80 beats a minute the steady beat of the drum2[singular] a regular repeated noise SYN  rhythmbeat of the beat of marching feet3[countable] the main rhythm that a piece of music or a poem has:  a song with a beat you can dance to4[singular] a subject or area of a city that someone is responsible for as their job:  journalists covering the Washington beaton the beat People like to see police officers on the beat.5[countable] one of the notes in a piece of music that sounds stronger than the other notes
beat1 verbbeat2 nounbeat3 adjective
beatbeat3 adjective [not before noun] Thesaurus
THESAURUS
feeling that you want to sleep or rest: · I was really tired the next day.· the tired faces of the children
extremely tired: · I was exhausted after the long trip home.· He sat down, exhausted.· She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
[not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard: · With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time: · weary travellers· a weary sigh· He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
formal very tired: · They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.· Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
[not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone: · Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
[not before noun] informal very tired: · I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.· I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use – do not use it in polite conversation: · By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
[not before noun] British English informal extremely tired: · When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep: · I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.
Longman Language Activatorto beat someone in a game, competition, election etc
to get more points, votes etc than an opposing team or political party: · Do you think the Socialists will beat the Liberals in the election?· Brazil beat Italy in the final.· Lewis was a tough boxer, and a hard man to beat.beat somebody at something: · My Father used to let me beat him at chess.beat somebody by 20 points/5 seconds/50 votes etc: · The Swedish runner beat the Canadian by just under two seconds.beat somebody 3-1/84 to 61/etc: · The Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-3.
especially written to get more points, votes etc than an opposing team, person, or political party. Defeat is more formal than beat .: · For the sixth consecutive year, Oxford defeated Cambridge today in the annual boat race.· Polk of California was defeated by a Democratic challenger in the last election.defeat somebody by 20 points/two goals to one etc: · Sanchez defeated Dornan by just 984 votes.
especially British, spoken to defeat an opponent or team in a game - use this especially about opponents or teams of a similar ability: · She's determined not to let Smith, her fiercest rival, get the better of her.
to easily beat your opponent in a game, especially when people were not expecting you to: · I thought I might beat Tracy at tennis but she was more than a match for me.· The Russian president has once again proved more than a match for his political adversaries.
to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc
informal to completely beat someone in a game, competition, election etc: · Wow, the Raiders just slaughtered the Seahawks again.· The party strategy was to form an alliance to crush the communists.
informal also cream American spoken to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc: · We've been clobbered twice now by Central High's basketball team.· Chicago hammered Boston in an away game on Saturday.· "How'd the game go?" "We creamed 'em!"
especially British to beat an opposing team or political party easily and completely: · The Australians have once again routed the English cricket team.
informal to defeat someone completely in an argument or competition: · I'd think twice before I started a fight with him - he'd wipe the floor with me!
to play much better than an opponent or team in a game and beat them easily: · Ohio outplayed Michigan, especially in the fourth quarter, winning by 14 points.
to defeat an enemy in war
to completely defeat an enemy's army because your armed forces are much larger, have better equipment etc: · The army was well-trained and well-armed, and had little difficulty defeating the rebels.heavily defeat: · The Republicans were heavily defeated in the Spanish Civil War.
to completely defeat an enemy's army because your armed forces are much larger, have better equipment etc: · Napoleon's army was strong enough to overwhelm nearly any potential enemy.· With its greatly superior technology, the government forces completely overwhelmed the rebels.
to completely defeat an enemy's army in a war and to destroy all their armed forces: · After a long and bloody battle the army succeeded in annihilating Seged's forces.· In 1945 Japan was helpless, with its military power annihilated.
to completely defeat an enemy's army in battle: · The general was killed and his armies were routed in a magnificent cavalry charge.
to cause the final defeat of an enemy, especially after a long war, so that they are too weak to fight back: · The disastrous Battle of the Boyne finally brought the Catholics to their knees.· After years of trench warfare, the Kaiser's army had finally been brought to its knees.
to completely defeat the armed forces of an enemy country, with the result that you have complete control over it: · Sailors travelled to the New World with the urge to conquer and explore.· Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, which we know today as France.
to beat someone by using your intelligence
to get an advantage over someone that you are fighting or competing against, by using clever tricks and planning rather than by force: · We can't fight them. We'll just have to try and outsmart them.· None of the thieves wanted to admit that they had been outwitted by a couple of teenagers.
also be too smart for especially American if you are too clever or too smart for someone, they have tried to trick you but you realized what they were doing and stopped them succeeding: · Molly tried to hide the presents but the children were too clever for her and found them within minutes.
when someone is beaten
a situation in which a person, army, political party etc is defeated: · After his third successive election defeat he decided to retire from politics.suffer a defeat: · In the last game of the season they suffered a humiliating defeat, losing 7-0 to Real Madrid.
a situation in which a person, army, political party etc is easily defeated: · The game was a rout, with the home team winning by 10 goals to nil.
a situation in which a person, team, political party etc is defeated badly: · Gramm's drubbing by Davis in the California primary has badly hurt his campaign.take a drubbing: · The Lions took a drubbing from the Eagles last night, losing 58-37.
tired after exercise or work
· I usually feel too tired to cook dinner after a day at the office.· We sat down and stretched out our tired legs.· They came back from their long walk, tired but relaxed.· Overly tired drivers can be nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.get tired (=start to feel tired) · Can we stop soon? I'm getting really tired.
very tired, especially because you have been doing a sport or other hard physical activity, and you have used all your energy: · I was exhausted every day when I first started teaching, but I'm used to it now.· The exhausted dancers collapsed as they stepped off the stage.exhausted from/by: · The five of them were still exhausted from their 36-hour train ride.completely/absolutely exhausted: · We had been walking for over 20 miles, and we were completely exhausted.
very tired, especially after a lot of hard work, physical exercise, or travelling: · Come in and sit down. You look worn out.· The men had been working in the fields all day and they were tired out.tired out/worn out from/by: · Susan and Lloyd were both tired out from feeding, bathing, and putting the children to bed.
British very tired, especially as a result of mental effort or worry: · When he came out of the exam he felt shattered.· I've had a terrible day at the office and I'm absolutely shattered.
written so tired after a very long period of working, travelling, or great mental effort that you feel you can hardly continue with what you are doing: · After the hike the two were so weary they fell asleep immediately.· Snow in Boston closed down the airport, causing even more delays for weary travellers.grow weary: · My head grew weary from trying to follow his arguments.
very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone, especially as a result of an unpleasant emotional experience, such as being worried, upset, or shocked: · By the end of the day I felt drained, with nothing to show for all my work.· After losing the game, Coach Saylor came to the press conference looking and sounding emotionally drained.
British very tired: · I've been up since four o'clock this morning - I'm absolutely knackered!· When you're training a team sometimes it's good to push them until they're knackered.
American informal very tired: · Wow, I'm pooped. I don't feel like going to the gym tonight.· You look beat - what have you been doing?· Will you excuse me? I'm bushed - I think I'll go to bed.
informal to be so tired that you are almost unable to stay standing: · After fourteen hours of non-stop work I was dead on my feet.· For goodness' sake go home! You look ready to drop.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
 Come and sit down – you must be dead beat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· She beat off competition from dozens of other candidates to get the job.
(=make it thicker by beating it)· Whip the cream until it is thick and light.
· new measures to beat car crime
· He was stabbed to death in an attack outside his home.
 Arsenal were deservedly beaten 2–1 by Leeds.
 1,000 people marched, beating drums and carrying flags.
(=music that sounds good) Check out these fat beats.
· Her heart was beating fast.
 I stupidly let myself be persuaded to take part in a live debate.
(=succeed despite great difficulties)· The baby, born sixteen weeks too early, defied the odds and is celebrating her first birthday.
· His pulse began to beat with a fierce rhythm.
· The rhythm was steady, as regular as a pulse beat.
(=it falls or hits something with a lot of force)· Isabel listened to the rain beating down.
(=do better or be greater than an existing record)· He broke the world record twice.
 I saw my aunt coming and beat a hasty retreat.
 He had been beaten senseless.
 Napoleon threatened to starve the country into submission.
(=shines with a lot of light and heat)· The sun beats down on us as we work.
(=be forced to accept defeat or a bad situation) Small businesses took a hammering in the last recession.
 Levin was knocked unconscious by the impact.
(=move them in a regular way while flying)· The female beats her wings as fast as 500 times a second.
· Their great wings beat slowly.
 He set a new world record for the marathon.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • Cavalli had no difficulty knocking the work of other composers into a cocked hat.
► beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody► bang/beat the drum for somebody/something► win (something)/beat somebody fair and square
  • In the word "spoken," the stress falls on the first syllable.
► beat somebody at their own game► somebody’s heart misses/skips a beat
  • And I said, beats the hell out of me.
  • Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
  • It scared the hell out of me.
  • Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
  • Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
  • There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
  • Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
  • Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
► beat/thrash etc somebody to within an inch of their life
  • Cuomo answered the reporters' questions without missing a beat.
  • They can present, explain, and deliver our solutions without missing a beat.
  • Woody Harrelson came in for the late Nicholas Colasanto without missing a beat.
  • When Caroline smiled at Eddie, his heart missed a beat.
  • She beat the pants off me last time we played.
  • He is aware of his competitors-and he beats the pants off them.
► turn/beat swords into ploughshares
  • Attempting to beat some one to a pulp would be described in these terms.
  • But when Alvin came back I thought he was going to beat me to a pulp.
  • Hitachi has beaten their competition to the punch with a new line of mainframe computers.
  • Bernie, it might be a good idea if you beat them to the punch.
  • Master Yehudi had beaten me to the punch again.
► beat the rap
  • Officials beat a hasty retreat as reporters shouted questions.
  • Appointees interviewed repeated a familiar theme: They all loved their jobs but are beating a retreat without regret.
  • Objects and fantasy are then used not as a means of venturing out, but to beat a retreat.
  • I had to pretend, because he was beating the shit out of me.
  • Like in the Teamsters, where they beat the shit out of people in parking lots.
  • In Hayward, a proposed library improvement tax was soundly defeated.
  • Synthonia are now the only side without a win after they were soundly beaten at Blackhall.
  • The Republicans were soundly defeated in the South, even in places where there were voting black majorities.
  • They were led by a fanatical chieftain named Yusuf and Alfonso was soundly defeated at the battle of Sagrajas.
  • When it came up for a vote in March, it was soundly defeated.
► a stick to beat somebody with► turn/beat swords into ploughshares
  • At one stage, he joined her, pacing with her, beating time with one hand.
  • In employment systems, after all, people are not mustered to play together as their manager beats time.
  • It is not true that elsewhere they obey it without beating it, since one beats time wherever choruses are sung.
  • It starts lean and mean, just a slash of overdriven guitar with tambourine keeping time.
  • The lord began to tap his foot and beat time with his hand against his thigh.
  • They are likened by Leibniz to a series of clocks that manage to keep time without being connected.
  • They were often unable to keep time to within fifteen minutes a day and were frequently out of order.
  • Tidy time keep time on your side and all your bills in order with this hand clip clock.
  • Sympathetic typifications of Catholics do little to lessen the obvious problem of being attacked while walking the beat.
  • You'd be walking the beat and you'd see some kid with his backside hanging out of his trousers.
 informal very tired SYN  exhausted:  I’m beat. Come and sit down – you must be dead beat.► see thesaurus at tired
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