1
as in pulse
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
he wears a pacemaker to help maintain a regular beating of his heart
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a beating and ended up in second place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in defeating
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 exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this new animated feature sure beats everything else that's ever been done in animation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in throbbing
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in flapping
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
the bird's wings beat strongly as it soared in the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in frustrating
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in drawing
to shape with a hammer
the medieval artisans who beat iron into exquisite swords
Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in burning
to shine with a bright harsh light
the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in tapping
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in circumventing
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
he spends all of his time trying to beat the system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in grinding
to reduce to fine particles
years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust
Synonyms & Similar Words
13
as in cheating
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beating
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Outside spending and guidance, Amazon's reported fourth quarter results were solid, with revenue and operating income beating expectations.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Final thoughts Seattle cleared its toughest hurdle by beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beating
Noun
Today, Cordell reflects on his beating stoically.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Outside spending and guidance, Amazon's reported fourth quarter results were solid, with revenue and operating income beating expectations.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
That drive ended with Kittle making a touchdown catch near the front right pylon after beating the coverage of safety Ty Okada, who was filling in for injured rookie Nick Emmanwori.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Final thoughts Seattle cleared its toughest hurdle by beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beating
Noun
-
These features cannot be made by a single star that pulses and ejects material periodically; that would simply lead to a smooth distribution of matter.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In turn, researchers can use these rhythmic pulses to reveal tiny changes in spacetime and detect gravitational waves caused by large, massive objects—including supermassive black holes.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Stafford also engineered late game-winning drives in playoff victories over the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears before the Rams suffered a 31-27 defeat by the Seahawks in the NFC championship.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Seattle bounced back from a defeat against the Ducks at Honda Center 24 hours earlier that snapped a four-game win streak.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With its newest release, Canadian RV specialist Leisure Travel Vans (LTV) adjusts focus from luxurious leisure to heart-pounding adventure travel.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
-
But if Robert Icke’s pulse-pounding Broadway production is any indication, Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old Greek tragedy still has the ability to shock.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For the Chinese Communist Party, which stakes its claim to legitimacy on defeating Japanese invaders during World War II, that would be an unforgivable outrage.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The Big Game Seattle Seahawks' players celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026.—
Josephine Rozzelle,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
States that automatically send every report to police are far exceeding federal requirements, experts said.—
Shoshana Walter,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Shares of networking equipment company Cisco have rallied about 18% since reporting its latest quarter in mid-November, greatly exceeding the S & P 500 gain of about 2% over the same time period.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With osteomalacia and rickets, a person may experience throbbing bone discomfort and muscle weakness and pain.—
Mark Stibich,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That’s why my leg is throbbing.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The team also discovered that rays using undulatory, wave-like swimming had better ground clearance than those with purely oscillatory, flapping motions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
-
For example, malware could send commands to rapidly open and close circuit breakers, a technique known as flapping.—
Saman Zonouz,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beating. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
