bi:t v., n., & adj. --v. (past beat;
past part. beaten) 1 tr. a
strike (a
person or animal) persistently or repeatedly,
esp. to
harm or
punish. b strike (a thing) repeatedly, e.g. to
remove dust from (a
carpet etc.), to
sound (a drum etc.). 2 intr. (foll. by
against,
at,
on, etc.) a pound or
knock repeatedly (waves beat against
the shore; beat at the door). b = beat down 3. 3 tr. a
overcome;
surpass;
win a
victory over. b
complete an
activity before (another person etc.). c be
too hard for;
perplex. 4 tr. (often foll. by up) stir (eggs etc.) vigorously
into a frothy
mixture. 5 tr. (often foll. by out)
fashion or
shape (metal etc.) by blows. 6 intr. (of the
heart, a drum, etc.)
pulsate rhythmically. 7 tr. (often foll. by out) a
indicate (a
tempo or rhythm) by gestures, tapping, etc. b sound (a signal etc.) by
striking a drum or
other means (beat a tattoo). 8 a intr. (of a bird's wings)
move up
and down. b tr.
cause (wings) to move in
this way. 9 tr.
make (a
path etc.) by trampling. 10 tr. strike (bushes etc.) to
rouse game. 11 intr. Naut.
sail in the
direction from
which the wind is blowing. --n. 1 a a main
accent or
rhythmic unit in
music or
verse (three beats to the bar; missed a beat and
came in early). b the
indication of
rhythm by a conductor's movements (watch the beat). c (in
popular music) a
strong rhythm. d (attrib.) characterized by a strong rhythm (beat music). 2 a a
stroke or blow (e.g. on a drum). b a
measured sequence of strokes (the beat of the waves on the rocks). c a throbbing
movement or sound (the beat of
his heart). 3 a a
route or
area allocated to a
police officer etc. b a person's
habitual round. 4
Physics a pulsation
due to the
combination of
two sounds or
electric currents of
similar but
not equivalent frequencies. 5 colloq. =
BEATNIK. --adj. 1 (predic.) sl. exhausted,
tired out. 2 (attrib.) of the beat
generation or
its philosophy. øbeat
about (often foll. by for)
search (for an
excuse etc.). beat about the bush
discuss a
matter without coming to the
point. beat the bounds
Brit. mark
parish boundaries by striking
certain points
with rods. beat one's
breast strike one's
chest in
anguish or
sorrow. beat the clock complete a
task within a stated
time. beat down 1 a
bargain with (a seller) to lower the
price. b cause a
seller to lower (the price). 2 strike (a resisting object)
until it falls (beat the
door down). 3 (of the
sun,
rain, etc.)
radiate heat or
fall continuously and vigorously. beat the drum for
publicize,
promote.
beaten at the post defeated at the last
moment. beat generation the members of a movement of
young people esp. in the 1950s
who rejected
conventional society in
their dress, habits, and beliefs. beat in
crush. beat it sl. go
away. beat
off drive back (an
attack etc.). beat a
retreat withdraw;
abandon an
undertaking. beat time indicate or
follow a
musical tempo with a
baton or other means. beat a person to it
arrive or
achieve something before
another person. beat up
give a
beating to, esp. with punches and kicks. beat-up adj. colloq.
dilapidated; in a
state of
disrepair. it beats me I do not
understand (it). øøbeatable adj. [OE beatan f. Gmc]