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Antonyms for beat


Grammar : Adj, noun, verb
Spell : beet
Phonetic Transcription : bit



Definition of beat

Origin :
  • Old English beatan "inflict blows on, thrash" (class VII strong verb; past tense beot, past participle beaten), from Proto-Germanic *bautan (cf. Old Norse bauta, Old High German bozan "to beat"), from PIE root *bhau- "to strike" (see batter (v.)). Of the heart, c.1200, from notion of it striking against the breast. Meaning "to overcome in a contest" is from 1610s (the source of the sense of "legally avoid, escape" in beat the charges, etc., attested from c.1920 in underworld slang).
  • Past tense beat is from c.1500, probably not from Old English but a shortening of Middle English beted. Dead-beat (originally "tired-out") preserves the old past participle. Meaning "strike cover to rouse or drive game" (c.1400) is source of beat around the bush (1570s), the metaphoric sense of which has shifted from "make preliminary motions" to "avoid, evade." Command beat it "go away" first recorded 1906 (though "action of feet upon the ground" was a sense of Old English betan). To beat off "masturbate" is recorded by 1960s. For beat generation see beatnik.
  • adj very tired
  • noun throbbing
  • noun blow, stroke
  • noun area of responsibility
  • verb injure by striking
  • verb defeat, surpass
  • verb forge
  • verb throb
  • verb mix
Example sentences :
  • The searchers, therefore, were directed to beat up the near-by country.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • And the pinto, for all his courage, could not meet that handicap and beat it.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • He beat the army in the field, and then let the fortresses drop one by one into his hands.
  • Extract from : « Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327 » by Various
  • I too want to have experiences, to live where life's beat is most intense.
  • Extract from : « Ballads of a Bohemian » by Robert W. Service
  • Beat the eggs, add the maple sirup, and add this to the milk.
  • Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
  • Beat the eggs slightly and add them with the milk to the dates.
  • Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
  • Separate the eggs, beat the yolks, and add them to the mixture.
  • Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
  • Separate the egg, beat the yolk, and mix it with the potato.
  • Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
  • Her heart began to beat violently, but she stopped to listen.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • Beat, and when it begins to get thick, add the nuts and coconut.
  • Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

Synonyms for beat

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019