1
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in defeats
to achieve a victory over
she always beats everyone at checkers, but she's not as good at chess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in surpasses
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this new animated feature sure beats everything else that's ever been done in animation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in throbs
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in flutters
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
the bird's wings beat strongly as it soared in the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in frustrates
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
as in glows
to shine with a bright harsh light
the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in drums
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in confuses
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in circumvents
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
he spends all of his time trying to beat the system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in grinds
to reduce to fine particles
years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust
Synonyms & Similar Words
13
as in plucks
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the screenwriter has filed a lawsuit, accusing the production company of beating him out of his share of the film's net profits
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered one hard beat on the drums
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pulses
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
a single beat of the heart is said to be all that separates the vice president from the presidency
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rhythms
the recurrent pattern formed by a series of sounds having a regular rise and fall in intensity
moved to the beat of the music
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in heartbeats
a very small space of time
within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of beats
Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Take, for example, Republican James Fishback, who, according to recent polling from Keystone Analytics, beats Jolly by almost five points in a head-to-head matchup.
—Thomas C. Shank, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Apparently, plans are underway to open a replica of the cave for the general public, but Herzog beats them to the punch by putting this natural museum on the big screen.
—Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
If Northwest beats Timber Creek in its regular season finale Friday, Southlake Carroll will advance, but if Timber Creek wins, the Falcons and Dragons will clash for the final District 4-6A playoff spot Saturday.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
The startup claims its model beats all other open-source models in agentic coding and reasoning.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Spend Time Gardening Together For the mom who’d rather be outside than anywhere else, quality time in the garden beats a bouquet that’ll wilt in a week.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
When his techno beats kick in during the most fraught sequences, however, the effect is dynamite.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
When Michael, the youngest and most talented, doesn’t snap to dad’s direction, Joe takes off his leather belt and beats him.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
Trista Kurniawan, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Procter & Gamble shares rose 3% on Friday after the consumer products giant behind Tide and dozens of brands reported top and bottom line beats, while reiterating guidance.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
The group’s internal dynamics and story beats are just as identical as the overall mission.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
The beats are stiffly period-appropriate, repurposing Shawty Redd snare rolls, bouncy Zaytoven keys, and snap music low end without flourish.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
Jimmie Fowlie and Ceara O’Sullivan’s script relies on formulaic coming-of-age beats before drifting unexpectedly into absurdism in the third act.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026
Gleed reportedly alleged in her lawsuit that after she was given the dose, her heart rate fell to about 25 beats per minute and her blood pressure spiked.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Though Beef isn’t exclusively a dark comedy, its comic beats thrive with a tighter pace and stricter focus.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Groove to 50 years of beats this weekend at the Auditorium Theatre.
—Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
Robot beats elite human players at table tennis A robot beat elite human players at table tennis, a landmark victory in a competitive sport.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Take, for example, Republican James Fishback, who, according to recent polling from Keystone Analytics, beats Jolly by almost five points in a head-to-head matchup.
—Thomas C. Shank, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Apparently, plans are underway to open a replica of the cave for the general public, but Herzog beats them to the punch by putting this natural museum on the big screen.
—Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
If Northwest beats Timber Creek in its regular season finale Friday, Southlake Carroll will advance, but if Timber Creek wins, the Falcons and Dragons will clash for the final District 4-6A playoff spot Saturday.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
The startup claims its model beats all other open-source models in agentic coding and reasoning.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Spend Time Gardening Together For the mom who’d rather be outside than anywhere else, quality time in the garden beats a bouquet that’ll wilt in a week.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
When his techno beats kick in during the most fraught sequences, however, the effect is dynamite.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
When Michael, the youngest and most talented, doesn’t snap to dad’s direction, Joe takes off his leather belt and beats him.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
These artists’ success signals a growing appetite abroad for Asian entertainment – most evident in the popularity of K-pop, with megastar groups like BTS and Blackpink drawing in Western audiences while blending contemporary beats with traditional Korean culture.
—Trista Kurniawan, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Procter & Gamble shares rose 3% on Friday after the consumer products giant behind Tide and dozens of brands reported top and bottom line beats, while reiterating guidance.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
The group’s internal dynamics and story beats are just as identical as the overall mission.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
The beats are stiffly period-appropriate, repurposing Shawty Redd snare rolls, bouncy Zaytoven keys, and snap music low end without flourish.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
Jimmie Fowlie and Ceara O’Sullivan’s script relies on formulaic coming-of-age beats before drifting unexpectedly into absurdism in the third act.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026
Gleed reportedly alleged in her lawsuit that after she was given the dose, her heart rate fell to about 25 beats per minute and her blood pressure spiked.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Though Beef isn’t exclusively a dark comedy, its comic beats thrive with a tighter pace and stricter focus.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Groove to 50 years of beats this weekend at the Auditorium Theatre.
—Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beats
Verb
-
Then, Mitski licks up the blood on the girl’s finger.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
-
After the drill, Ruin rolls onto his back, then licks a reporter's nose.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On the back of four Premier League defeats in a row and a squad pockmarked by injuries, some kind of change was required.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Al Gore defeats George W Bush to become the 42nd President of the United States.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Blue Origin, founded and owed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, has landed and reused its smaller New Shepard suborbital booster numerous times, but New Glenn surpasses New Shepard in difficulty and scale.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2026
-
This show, which still prompts belly laughs from my daughter and me even after countless rewatches, meets and surpasses my mother’s bar.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
My boredom typically spurs feelings of frustration, guilt, shame—and long nutritionless spells of goggling, slack-jawed, at celebrity news on my phone while the world throbs around me.—
Daniel Smith,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel (center) flutters a Venezuelan and Cuban national flags in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Start with the room that frustrates you most, identify what’s creating clutter and look for a single piece of furniture that solves two problems at once.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The person at the cash register has to stop helping other customers to try and track down the booth owner, which holds up the line and frustrates everybody.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The reinterpretation of the timepieces draws from Tag Heuer’s design codes, powered by the Solargraph movement.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Meantime, Ty France draws the start at first base and Gavin Sheets is in the lineup at DH, giving the Padres a bench of Song, Miguel Andujar, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Johnson and catcher Luis Campusano.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even if other tracks on BASS2 don’t quite rise to the same level, the record glows with new confidence.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
-
There’s a Mooi wallcovering where extinct animals hide within jungle fauna in one and a freestanding Aura by Antoniolupi sink that glows translucent yellow in the other.—
Sandra Barrera,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beats. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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