v. 1 strike, pound, bash, smite, batter, pummel or pommel, belabour, pelt, clout, thrash, give (someone) a thrashing or beating, drub, manhandle, thump, whack, cane, scourge, whip, bludgeon, club, cudgel, fustigate; whip, flog, lash , Colloq clobber, wallop, give (someone) a once-over At first he refused to tell them, but then they beat it out of him 2 defeat, best, worst, win (out) over, vanquish, trounce, rout, outdo, subdue, overcome, overwhelm, pre-empt; surpass, conquer, crush, master, US beat out Can they beat Manchester United for the cup? He first beat the Danes, then the Russians 3 throb, pulsate, palpitate, pound, thump I could feel my heart beating against my ribs 4 Nautical tack Close-hauled, the sloop was beating to windward against the howling gale 5 hammer, forge, shape, form, fashion, make, mould They shall beat their swords into ploughshares 6 mix, whip, stir, blend Beat two eggs, then add the flour and sugar 7 tread, wear, trample The hunters beat a path through the forest 8 beat it. depart, leave, abscond, run off or away, Slang US take it on the lam, lam out of here, US hit the road You'd better beat it before the cops come 9 beat off. drive off or away, rout We beat off our attackers, who fled into the forest
n. 10 stroke, blow The signal was to be three beats of a tin cup on the pipes 11 rhythm, tempo, measure; pulse, throb, stress, pulsation In boogie-woogie the beat is eight to the bar 12 course, round, tour, route, circuit, run, path; area, bailiwick In the old days, it was the bobby on the beat who prevented a lot of crime As a reporter, my beat is the financial news.
adj. 13 dead beat, exhausted, spent, drained, worn out, weary, bone-tired, fatigued, fagged I was really beat after completing the marathon