backbeat

back·beat

B0010000 (băk′bēt′)n. A sharp rhythmic accent on the second and fourth beats of a measure in 4/4 time, characteristic of rock music.

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[back(ground) + beat.]

backbeat

(ˈbækˌbiːt) n (Music, other) music the second and fourth beats of a bar written in even time or, in more complex time signatures, the last beat of the bar. Compare downbeat¹, upbeat¹

back•beat

(ˈbækˌbit)

n. an accented secondary or supplementary beat, as by a jazz drummer. [1925–30]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

backbeat - a loud steady beat rock and roll, rock music, rock 'n' roll, rock-and-roll, rock'n'roll, rock - a genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of black rhythm-and-blues with white country-and-western; "rock is a generic term for the range of styles that evolved out of rock'n'roll."musical rhythm, rhythm, beat - the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the beat"