Added 7 October 2026
beat
/biːt/ noun
In Latin: rhythmus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about beat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
To hit; to strike.
As soon as she heard that her father had died, she went into a rage and beat the wall with her fists until her knuckles bled.
-
To strike or pound repeatedly, usually in some sort of rhythm.
He danced hypnotically while she beat the atabaque.
- To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blows; to knock vigorously or loudly.
verb
- simple past tense of beat
- past participle of beat
adjective
-
Exhausted.
After the long day, she was feeling completely beat.
-
Dilapidated, beat up.
Dude, you drive a beat car like that and you ain’t gonna get no honeys.
-
Having impressively attractive makeup.
Her face was beat for the gods!
Origin
Inherited from Middle English beten, from Old English bēatan (“to beat, pound, strike, lash, dash, thrust, hurt, injure”), from Proto-West Germanic *bautan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push, strike”). Cognate with Dutch boten, botten, butten (“to push, strike”), German boßen (“to thrash”), Gothic *𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍄𐌰𐌽 (*bautan, “to beat, strike”) (whence, probably, Galician and Portuguese botar (“to expel; to throw”)); also Latin fūstis (“club, cudgel, knobbed stick, staff”), *fūtō (“to strike”), Albanian bahe, hobe (“sling”), Armenian բութ (butʻ), բույթ (buytʻ, “thumb”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)