beat

Sense 1 noun

a regular route for a sentry or policeman

in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name

Sense 2 verb

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship

Sense 3 noun

the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart

he could feel the beat of her heart

Sense 4 verb

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

Sense 5 noun

the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music

the piece has a fast rhythm

Sense 6 verb

hit repeatedly

beat on the door

Sense 7 noun

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

Sense 8 verb

move rhythmically

Her heart was beating fast

Sense 9 noun

a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior

Sense 10 verb

shape by beating

beat swords into ploughshares

Sense 11 noun

the sound of stroke or blow

he heard the beat of a drum

Sense 12 verb

make a rhythmic sound

Rain drummed against the windshield

Sense 13 noun

(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

Sense 14 verb

glare or strike with great intensity

The sun was beating down on us

Sense 15 noun

a regular rate of repetition

the cox raised the beat

Sense 16 verb

move with a thrashing motion

The bird flapped its wings

Sense 17 noun

a stroke or blow

the signal was two beats on the steam pipe

Sense 18 verb

sail with much tacking or with difficulty

The boat beat in the strong wind

Sense 19 noun

the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing

Sense 20 verb

stir vigorously

beat the egg whites

Sense 21 verb

strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music

beat one's breast

Sense 22 verb

be superior

Reading beats watching television

Sense 23 verb

avoid paying

beat the subway fare

Sense 24 verb

make a sound like a clock or a timer

the clocks were ticking

Sense 25 verb

move with a flapping motion

The bird's wings were flapping

Sense 26 verb

indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks

Beat the rhythm

Sense 27 verb

move with or as if with a regular alternating motion

the city pulsated with music and excitement

Sense 28 verb

make by pounding or trampling

beat a path through the forest

Sense 29 verb

produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly

beat the drum

Sense 30 verb

strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting

Sense 31 verb

beat through cleverness and wit

I beat the traffic

Sense 32 verb

be a mystery or bewildering to

This beats me!

Sense 33 verb

wear out completely

This kind of work exhausts me