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Book Glossary

beat

Dictionary definition · beat

noun

  1. a regular route for a sentry or policeman"in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"
  2. the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart"he could feel the beat of her heart"
  3. the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music"the piece has a fast rhythm"
  4. a single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations
  5. a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
  6. the sound of stroke or blow"he heard the beat of a drum"

verb

  1. come out better in a competition, race, or conflict"Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"
  2. give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression"Thugs beat him up when he walked down the street late at night"
  3. hit repeatedly"beat on the door"
  4. move rhythmically"Her heart was beating fast"
  5. shape by beating"beat swords into ploughshares"

adjective

  1. very tired"was all in at the end of the day"

Similar words

all inbusheddeadroundbeat outcrushshelltrouncevanquishheartbeat

Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).