beat

I UK [biːt] / US [bɪt] verb
Word forms "beat":
present tense I/you/we/they beat he/she/it beats present participle beating past tense beat past participle beaten UK [ˈbiːt(ə)n] / US [ˈbɪt(ə)n]
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1) [transitive] to defeat someone in a game, competition, election, or battle

England needed to beat Germany to get to the final.

In 2000, George W Bush narrowly beat Al Gore in the election.

a) to do something faster, for longer, more times etc than has been done before

She beat the world record by 0.3 of a second.

I'll be happy if I beat my previous score.

b) to succeed despite a difficult situation

It is one of the few businesses that has beaten the recession.

women who have beaten breast cancer

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Collocations:
Adverbs frequently used with beat
▪  comfortably, comprehensively, convincingly, easily, narrowly, soundly

2)

a) [transitive] to arrive before someone else

beat someone to/back/up etc:

See if you can beat me back to the house!

b) to do something before a planned time or before something happens

beat the deadline/clock:

He was always trying to beat the clock and finish early.

3) [transitive] to hit someone violently several times

They were arrested for beating their children.

4) [transitive] to hit something several times making a regular pattern of sounds, or to make this pattern of sounds

Someone was beating a drum in the distance.

a) [transitive] to hit an object or part of the body with your hands

I beat my hands on the wall with rage.

He suddenly beat the table with his fist.

b) [intransitive/transitive] if a bird or insect beats its wings, or if its wings beat, it hits them together several times

c) [intransitive/transitive] to hit something many times or for a long period of time

beat against/on/at:

The rain was beating against the windows with renewed force.

waves beating on the shore

d) [transitive] to hit a piece of metal with a special hammer in order to make it thinner

5) [intransitive] if someone's heart beats, it makes the same sound and movements again and again as it pumps blood around their body

The shock had made my heart beat faster.

6) [transitive] to mix foods such as eggs, cream, or butter well using a fork or a special tool or machine. This tool or machine can be called a beater.

7)

a) [transitive] informal to be better than something else

For me, surfing the Net beats watching TV any time.

b) you can't beat something or something can't be beat used for saying that something is very good

You can't beat a good book.

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beat around/about the bush — to spend a long time getting to the main point of what you are saying, especially because it is embarrassing

Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.

can you beat that/it? — used for showing that you are surprised about something

There was a cat with ten kittens – can you beat that?

- beat your breast

- beat it

- beat a path to someone's door

- beat the rap

- beat the system

- beat time

- beat someone to it

- be hard to beat

- if you can't beat 'em join 'em

- it beats me

Phrasal verbs:

- beat down

- beat off

- beat on

- beat out

- beat up

- beat up on

II UK [biːt] / US [bɪt] noun [countable]
Word forms "beat":
singular beat plural beats
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1)

a) the series of regular sounds or movements as your heart pumps blood around your body

I could feel the beat of his heart.

b) one of the regular sounds or movements of your heart

a heart rate of 65 beats a minute

miss/skip a beat:

Her heart seemed to miss a beat.

2) [usually singular] music the main pattern of sounds in a piece of music, or the strongest sounds in this pattern

music with a slow pulsating beat

a) a single regular sound or a series of regular sounds, especially of two things hitting together

the sound of a single drum beat

beat of:

the beat of horses' hooves

b) music a unit of measurement for a piece of music. Each bar has a particular number of beats

A waltz has three beats in a bar.

3) [usually singular] an area that a police officer has responsibility for and must walk around regularly

walk/pound/patrol the beat:

The two officers used to walk the beat together.

on the beat (= walking around an area):

We intend to increase the number of police on the beat.

III UK [biːt] / US [bɪt] adjective spoken

very tired

I'm going to bed now – I'm beat.