• the act of Beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
• a stroke or blow; "the signal was two Beats on the steam pipe"
• a regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the Beat"
• the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the Beat"
• (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
• the sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the Beat of a drum"
• the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each Beat of the heart; "he could feel the Beat of her heart"
• a regular route for a sentry or policeman; "in the old days a policeman walked a Beat and knew all his people by name"
• a member of the Beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
• a single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations
• wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I''m Beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"
• be a mystery or bewildering to; "This Beats me!"; "Got me--I don''t know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me"
• come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi Beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We Beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"
• Beat through cleverness and wit; "I Beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors"
• give a Beating to; subject to a Beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression; "Thugs Beat him up when he walked down the street late at night"; "The teacher used to Beat the students"
• hit repeatedly; "Beat on the door"; "Beat the table with his shoe"
• strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
• strike (a part of one''s own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music; "Beat one''s breast"; "Beat one''s foot rhythmically"
• stir vigorously; "Beat the egg whites"; "Beat the cream"
• shape by Beating; "Beat swords into ploughshares"
• produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "Beat the drum"
• make by pounding or trampling; "Beat a path through the forest"
• move with or as if with a regular alternating motion; "the city pulsated with music and excitement"
• move rhythmically; "Her heart was Beating fast"
• indicate by Beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm"
• sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat Beat in the strong wind"
• move with a flapping motion; "The bird''s wings were flapping"
• move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle Beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
• glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was Beating down on us"
• make a rhythmic sound; "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums Beat all night"
• make a sound like a clock or a timer; "the clocks were ticking"; "the grandfather clock Beat midnight"
• avoid paying; "Beat the subway fare"
• be superior; "Reading Beats watching television"; "This sure Beats work!"

'Beat' in other languages