beat

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You're listening to Joanna
She has an American accent.

NGSL Rank: 1032
beat
biːt Listen
Meanings
verb
  • strike (a person or an animal) repeatedly and violently so as to hurt or injure them, typically with an implement such as a club or whip.
    E.g. if we were caught we were beaten
  • defeat (someone) in a game or other competitive situation.
    E.g. she beat him easily at chess
  • succeed in getting somewhere ahead of (someone).
    E.g. the defender beat him to the ball
  • (of the heart) pulsate.
    E.g. her heart beat faster with panic
  • (of a bird) move (the wings) up and down.
    E.g. doves wheel around the rooftops, beating their wings
  • stir (cooking ingredients) vigorously to make a smooth or frothy mixture.
    E.g. beat the butter until light and fluffy
  • sail into the wind, following a zigzag course with repeated tacking.
    E.g. we beat southwards all that first day
noun
  • a main accent or rhythmic unit in music or poetry.
    E.g. the glissando begins on the second beat
  • the movement of a bird's wings.
    E.g. the beat of the swallow's wings as they dive after midges
  • an area allocated to a police officer and patrolled on foot.
    E.g. his beat was in North London
  • a brief pause or moment of hesitation.
    E.g. she waited for a beat of three seconds
  • short for beatnik.
adjective
  • completely exhausted.
    E.g. I'm beat—I need an hour or so to rest
  • relating to the beat generation or its philosophy.
    E.g. beat poet Allen Ginsberg

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beat
Joanna
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