beat*/*/*/

[biːt] (past tense beat; past participle beaten) verb I

1) [T] to defeat someone in a game, competition, election, or BATTLE

England needed to beat Germany to get to the final.[/ex]

2) [T] to hit someone violently several times

They were arrested for beating their children.[/ex]

The two men had been beaten to death.[/ex]

3) [I/T] to hit something many times or for a long period of time

The rain was beating against the windows.[/ex]

4) [T] to arrive before someone else

See if you can beat me back to the house![/ex]

5) [T] informal

to be better than something else

For me, surfing the Net beats watching TV any time.[/ex]

6) if someone's heart beats, it makes regular sounds and movements

The shock had made my heart beat faster.[/ex]

7) [T] to mix foods together using a fork or a special tool or machine

•

beat sb to it — to do something before someone else[/ex]

[i]When I went to take the keys I found that someone had beaten me to it.[/ex]

it beats me — spoken used for saying that you do not know or understand something[/ex]

'Why did he do such a stupid thing?' 'It beats me.'[/ex]

you can't beat sth — used for saying that something is very good[/ex]

You can't beat a good book.[/ex]

- beat down

- beat sb off

- beat sb up

II

noun

beat [biːt]

1) [C] the regular sound or movement of your heart

I could feel the beat of his heart.[/ex]

2) [singular] the main pattern of regular strong sounds in a piece of music

music with a slow bluesy beat[/ex]

3) [singular] a single regular sound, or a series of regular sounds, especially of two things hitting together

the beat of the bird's wings[/ex]

4) [C] an area that a police officer has responsibility for and must walk around regularly