Webster's English Dictionary

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beat

Cross references:
  1. conquer               
 
1. beat \'be-t\ \'be-t-*n\ vb or beat;  or beat.en;  or beat or beat.ing 
   [ME beten, fr. OE be-atan; akin to OHG bo-zan to beat,]L -futare to beat, 
   fustis club 1: to strike repeatedly :  1a: to hit repeatedly so as to 
   inflict pain  1b: to walk on : TREAD  1c: to dash against  1d: to flap or 
   thrash at vigorously  1e: to strike at to rouse game; also : to range over 
   in or as if i n quest of game 1f: to mix by stirring : WHIP  2a: to drive 
   or force by beating  2b: to pound into a powder, paste, or pulp  2c: to 
   made by repeated treading or driving over  2d: to lodge or dislodge by 
   repeated hitting  2e: to shape by beating {~ swords into plowshares}; esp 
   :: to flatten thin by blows 2f: to sound or express by drum beat or sound  
   3: to cause to strike or flap repeatedly  4a: OVERCOME, DEFEAT; also : 
   SURPASS  4b: to prevail despite {~ odds}  4c: BEWILDER, BAFFLE  4d1: 
   FATIGUE, EXHAUST  4d2: to leave dispirited, irresolute, or hopeless  4e: 
   CHEAT  5a1: to act ahead of usu. so as to forestall  5a2: to report a news 
   item in advance of  5b: to come or arrive before  5c: CIRCUMVENT {~ the 
   system}  6: to indicate by beating {~ the tempo}  1a: to become forcefully 
   impelled : DASH  1b: to glare or strike with oppressive intensity  1c: to 
   sustain distracting activity  1d: to beat a drum  2a1: PULSATE, THROB  2a2: 
   TICK  2b: to sound upon being struck  3a: to strike repeated blows  3b: to 
   strike the air : FLAP  3c: to strike cover to rouse game; also : to range 
   or scour for or  as if for game 4: to progress with much tacking or with 
   difficulty 
2. beat n 1a: a single stroke or blow esp. in a series; also : PULSATIONM, 
   TICK 1b: a sound produced by or as if by beating  1c: a driving impact or 
   force  2: one swing of the pendulum or balance of a timepiece  3: each of 
   the pulsations of amplitude produced by the union of sound or ra dio waves 
   or electric currents having different frequencies 4a: a metrical or 
   rhythmic stress in poetry or music or the rhythmic effect  of these 
   stresses 4b: the tempo indicated to a musical performer  5: a regularly 
   traversed round  6a: something that excels  6b: the reporting of a news 
   story ahead of competitors  7: DEADBEAT  8a: an act of beating to windward  
   8b: one of the reaches so traversed : TACK 
3. beat aj [ME beten, bete, fr. pp. of beten] 1a: EXHAUSTED  1b: sapped of 
   resolution or morale  2: of or relating to beatniks 
4. beat n : BEATNIK