beat - thesaurus entry

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verb

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1
to defeat someone in a game, competition, election, or battle
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To defeat someone in a game, competition or argument: defeat, win, beat, overcome, crush, thrash, overpower, smash, outmanoeuvre, make short/light/quick work of someone... more
1. a.
  to do something faster, for longer, more times etc than has been done before
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  To be the best or better than someone else: surpass, outdo, rise above, outshine, overtake, be more than a match for someone, be in a class of your/its own, be as good as it gets, beat... more
2. b.
  to succeed despite a difficult situation
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  To succeed in doing something: succeed, manage, pull off, bring off, accomplish, triumph, achieve, attain, be able to do something, make it... more
2
to arrive before someone else
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To do something before someone else: make the first move, be/stay one jump ahead (of someone), steal a march on someone, preface, go ahead, beat, make hay (while the sun shines)... more
1. a.
  to do something before a planned time or before something happens
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  To do something before someone else: make the first move, be/stay one jump ahead (of someone), steal a march on someone, preface, go ahead, beat, make hay (while the sun shines)... more
3
to hit someone violently several times
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To hit a person: hit, smack, bludgeon, thump, batter, beat, beat up, stun, thrash, knock around... more
4
to hit something several times making a regular pattern of sounds, or to make this pattern of sounds
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To hit an object: punch, thump, knock, bang, batter, hit, beat, strike, smash... more
1. a.
  to hit an object or part of the body with your hands
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  To hit an object: punch, thump, knock, bang, batter, hit, beat, strike, smash... more
2. b.
  if a bird or insect beats its wings, or if its wings beat, it hits them together several times
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  Bird behaviour: alight, beat, brood, caw, chatter, cheep, chirp, coo, cry, flap... more
3. c.
  to hit something many times or for a long period of time
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  To hit an object: punch, thump, knock, bang, batter, hit, beat, strike, smash... more
4. d.
  to hit a piece of metal with a special hammer in order to make it thinner
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  Metalworking and forms of metal: anvil, bar, beat, blacksmith, bullion, burnish, carat, chase, crucible, ct... more
5
if someone’s heart beats, it makes the same sound and movements again and again as it pumps blood around their body
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
Bleeding and what the heart and blood do: beat, bleed, clot, flutter, fur up, haemorrhage, hammer, hemorrhage, jump, lurch... more
6
to mix foods such as eggs, cream, or butter well using a fork or a special tool or machine. This tool or machine can be called a beater.
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
Prepare food for cooking or eating: bake, beat, blanch, blend, bone, butcher, butchery, butter, carve, chill... more
7
informal to be better than something else
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To be the best or better than someone else: surpass, outdo, rise above, outshine, overtake, be more than a match for someone, be in a class of your/its own, be as good as it gets, beat... more
1. a.
  you can’t beat something
  or
  something can’t be beat
  used for saying that something is very good
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
  Ways of emphasizing how good something is: highly, monumental, cool, than someone/something put together, to a fault, beyond/without compare, you ought to see/hear/meet etc, not/never in your (wildest) dreams, there’s nothing/no place like something, fortunately... more

phrases

beat around/about the bush
to spend a long time getting to the main point of what you are saying, especially because it is embarrassing
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To change from one subject or discussion to another: move, digress, wander, get away from, drag in, bring, beat around/about the bush, stray, get off... more
beat your breast
to make it obvious by your actions that you are very upset or sorry about something
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To say or show that you are sorry: apologize, atone, make amends, make it up to someone, expiate, wear sackcloth and ashes, put on/wear a hair shirt, beat your breast, apologise, redeem yourself... more
beat it
spoken
used for telling someone to go away, especially when you are angry with them
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
Ways of telling someone to go away: get out, clear out, shoo, buzz off, clear off, push off, on your bike!, hop it, beat it, never darken my door again... more
beat a path to someone’s door
to go to someone’s home or place of work in large numbers
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To go somewhere, or to move in a particular direction: head, go, progress, carry on, flow, walk on, nose, pass, press, forge ahead... more
beat the rap
mainly American informal
to escape being punished for a crime you have been accused of
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To escape or avoid punishment: get away with, get off/be let off lightly, unpunished, get away with murder, save your/someone’s hide, beat the rap, get away/get off scot-free... more
beat the system
to achieve what you want by breaking rules or by finding clever ways of working within them
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To fail to obey a rule, law or command: break, defy, disobey, flout, breach, contravene, challenge, infringe, offend, violate... more
beat time
to make regular movements or sounds to show how fast a piece of music should be sung or played
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
Playing, performing and arranging music: accompany, arrange, articulation, atmospherics, back, bang out, baton, beat out, blast, blast away... more
beat someone to it
to do something before someone else
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To do something before someone else: make the first move, be/stay one jump ahead (of someone), steal a march on someone, preface, go ahead, beat, make hay (while the sun shines)... more
be hard to beat
to be very good, or to be better than other things of its kind
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To be the best or better than someone else: surpass, outdo, rise above, outshine, overtake, be more than a match for someone, be in a class of your/its own, be as good as it gets, beat... more
can you beat that/it?
used for showing that you are surprised about something
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
Ways of saying that you are surprised or shocked: funnily enough, you don’t say, heavens above, Well, I never (did), is that a fact?, you would not believe, of all things/people/places, now I’ve seen everything/it all, who would have thought...?, even... more
if you can’t beat ’em join ’em
used for saying that you are going to start doing the same as other people because you have tried to do something different and it has failed
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
To copy someone or something: imitate, copy, mimic, follow, follow in someone’s footsteps, do likewise, follow the crowd/go with the crowd, take a leaf out of/from someone’s book, take your cue from someone... more
it beats me
spoken
used for saying that you do not know or understand something
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*
Ways of saying that you do not know or understand: not that I know of, don’t ask me, your guess is as good as mine, (that’s a) good question, I couldn’t tell you, how should/do I know?, not for the life of me, what is someone on about?, who can say?... more

phrasal verbs

These are synonyms and/or related words for beat in the British English Thesaurus. View synonyms and/or related words for beat in the American English Thesaurus.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

chillax

to rest and relax, often by taking time away from work to do things you enjoy

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dray

a type of cart pulled by a horse and used in the past for carrying barrels of beer

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beat - thesaurus entry

What are red words?

Related thesaurus entries

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

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you can’t beat something

something can’t be beat

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

phrases

beat around/about the bush

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat your breast

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat it

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat a path to someone’s door

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat the rap

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat the system

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat time

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

beat someone to it

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

be hard to beat

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

can you beat that/it?

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

if you can’t beat ’em join ’em

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

it beats me

*Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat*

phrasal verbs

chillax

Word of the Day

dray

gender-neutral

Synonyms or related words for this sense of beat

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