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 thumps
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
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Recent Examples of beats
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
If Denver beats Memphis and the Clippers beat the Warriors, the Wolves would finish sixth.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
If Memphis beats Denver on Friday and the Golden State Warriors beat the LA Clippers on Sunday, the Wolves will finish fourth and host Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Finishing like this certainly beats the alternative of letting this season go from bad to worse.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
But a straight $200 discount beats those sales comfortably.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The latter figure barely beats the eBay auction price, which hovers around the $130 mark.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Experiment, iterate, and stay flexible—because in chaos, speed beats perfection.
—Cicely Simpson, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Does anyone really care whether Tesla beats and raises?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
Minnesota would finish fifth if Memphis beats Denver and the Clippers beat the Warriors or if Denver beats Memphis and the Warriors beat the Clippers.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
If Denver beats Memphis and the Clippers beat the Warriors, the Wolves would finish sixth.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
If Memphis beats Denver on Friday and the Golden State Warriors beat the LA Clippers on Sunday, the Wolves will finish fourth and host Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Finishing like this certainly beats the alternative of letting this season go from bad to worse.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
But a straight $200 discount beats those sales comfortably.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The latter figure barely beats the eBay auction price, which hovers around the $130 mark.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Experiment, iterate, and stay flexible—because in chaos, speed beats perfection.
—Cicely Simpson, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Does anyone really care whether Tesla beats and raises?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beats
Noun
-
The most significant changes were in cells near the hypothalamus’ third ventricle (V3), critical to regulating vital physiological and behavioral processes, including temperature, hunger and satiety, thirst and fluid balance, sleep-wake cycles, and circadian rhythms.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
-
This sounds schematic, but Ross is something of a genius in varying the rhythms and the visual change-ups.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Ellie hides her injury from Dina when her friend arrives to rescue her, and the women are summoned to appear before the town leaders to share their experience.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Ellie hides her injury from Dina when her friend arrives to rescue her, and the women are summoned to appear before the town leaders to share their experience.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Anything that exceeds $250,000 would still go before the council for approval.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Senior housing and skilled nursing often exceeds $100,000 per year.—
Joseph Coughlin,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
There’s no need to spend over $30 or more on a yummy scented candle that’s long-lasting, smells luxurious, and burns evenly.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
18 Dec. 2024
-
Your body burns calories all the time, even while sleeping.—
Amber J. Tresca,
Verywell Health,
16 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
De Niro delineates the two characters, who appear in several scenes together like the twins in The Parent Trap, with different vocal cadences (Genovese’s voice is much higher), hairlines, and considerable make-up and prosthetics.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Voiced in concise, elegant cadences a literary half-step above daily discourse, the work unfolds in sequences of still images—the two main characters alone and together, punctuated by shots of Changchung’s gelid urban landscape—set to precisely syncopated music.—
Philip Tinari,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Assuming the United States once again avoids going over the fiscal cliff, many challenges remain—driven by rising entitlement program costs and skyrocketing interest expenses—to put the country on a sustainable fiscal path.—
Doug Criscitello,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
This gives students a consecutive Monday and Tuesday off school, and avoids a day off in the middle of the week, Hillman said on Monday.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Employers today want people who can roll with the punches, adapt to different work setups, and thrive in any environment.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Employers today want people who can roll with the punches, adapt to different work setups, and thrive in any environment.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Rest 30 to 60 seconds, and then repeat from the top.—
Christa Sgobba,
SELF,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Rest for 60 to 90 seconds before going to the third exercise.—
Christa Sgobba,
SELF,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beats. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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