Synonyms of beat
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as in to lick 
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as in to defeat
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as in to surpass
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as in to throb
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as in to flutter
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as in to frustrate
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as in to draw
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as in to glow
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as in to drum
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as in to confuse
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as in to circumvent
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as in to grind
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as in to cheat
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as in blow
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as in pulse
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as in rhythm
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as in minute
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as in tired
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to defeat
to achieve a victory over
she always beats everyone at checkers, but she's not as good at chess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to surpass
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this new animated feature sure beats everything else that's ever been done in animation
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4
5
as in to flutter
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
the bird's wings beat strongly as it soared in the air
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6
as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
9
as in to drum
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
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10
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in to circumvent
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
he spends all of his time trying to beat the system
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
13
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the screenwriter has filed a lawsuit, accusing the production company of beating him out of his share of the film's net profits
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered one hard beat on the drums
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2
as in pulse
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
a single beat of the heart is said to be all that separates the vice president from the presidency
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3
as in rhythm
the recurrent pattern formed by a series of sounds having a regular rise and fall in intensity
moved to the beat of the music
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4
as in minute
a very small space of time
within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tired
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
can we pick this up tomorrow, because I'm beat?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of beat
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Snelling in suburban Minneapolis, Castaneda-Mondragon said officers resumed beating him.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
The beat never stops in Søimer Guttormsen’s restless film, even when the party does.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2025
Veteran reliever to become team’s bullpen coach When new left-hander Sam Hentges spoke with beat reporters over Zoom on Friday afternoon, the reliever accidentally revealed that long-time reliever Jesse Chavez would become the team’s new bullpen coach.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat
Verb
On May 10, 2004, Bravo said agents of Venezuela’s intelligence service, then known as the DISIP, raided a private residence without a warrant, beat and detained her, and took her to El Helicoide, the agency’s main detention complex.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Snelling in suburban Minneapolis, Castaneda-Mondragon said officers resumed beating him.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
The health beat takes her inside operating rooms, laboratories and clinics to tell the story of health care from a human perspective.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
The beat never stops in Søimer Guttormsen’s restless film, even when the party does.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
This recipe brings together meat and vegetables in a can't-be-beat cold-weather go-to.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2025
Veteran reliever to become team’s bullpen coach When new left-hander Sam Hentges spoke with beat reporters over Zoom on Friday afternoon, the reliever accidentally revealed that long-time reliever Jesse Chavez would become the team’s new bullpen coach.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Magic rallied from 17 points down to win 120-117, but the Jazz defeated the Heat 115-111.—
Mark Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Cyclones, who are 13-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season, have defeated the Jayhawks three straight years in the building.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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SimpleImages/Getty Images Gold prices have been on a remarkable run over the past year, with the price of the precious metal consistently surpassing prior records and just recently climbing to historic levels above $5,000 per ounce.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The media giant’s HBO Max and Discovery+ services delivered their strongest Winter Olympics streaming performance to date through the opening days of competition, surpassing both Beijing 2022 and PyeongChang 2018 benchmarks.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With osteomalacia and rickets, a person may experience throbbing bone discomfort and muscle weakness and pain.—
Mark Stibich,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2026
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Her hand and arm cramped, her shoulder ached, and her knee throbbed, all while the rain soaked through their clothes.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The hand in motion, the fluttering scarf, the sparkling outfit.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
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As the early swooning over Newsom suggests, some voters’ hearts are fluttering over the prospect of his candidacy.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But now concerns have grown and even some of the airline’s most loyal customers are frustrated after the carrier rolled out a new boarding process to pair with the policy change.—
Dallas Morning News,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The two upperclassmen used contrasting styles to frustrate TCU defensively.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That tournament drew decidedly mixed reactions while Stephen Curry won the MVP award in his home arena.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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The main challenge is ensuring redistricting is fair, transparent, and based on accurate population data—not drawn to protect incumbents or maximize partisan advantage.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That leads to high temperatures, which create a glowing protostar due to the rapid (kinetic) motion of the internal gas particles, and eventually, after a few tens of millions of years, the core temperatures rise high enough (above 4 million K or so) that nuclear fusion of hydrogen begins.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
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Now imagine the same with some of those teary eyes angled down toward glowing screens, while others frame the bride with their phones.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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