Showing results for "beaten"

• past participle of beat.

beaten

American  

[beet-n] / ˈbit n /

adjective

1. formed or shaped by blows; hammered.

   a dish of beaten brass.

2. much trodden; commonly used.

   a beaten path.

3. defeated; vanquished; thwarted.

4. overcome by exhaustion; fatigued by hard work, intense activity, etc.

5. (of food) whipped up, pounded, pulverized, or the like.

   adding three beaten eggs.

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idioms

1. off the beaten track / path, novel; uncommon; out of the ordinary.

   a tiny shop that was off the beaten track.

beaten British  

/ ˈbiːtən /

adjective

1. defeated or baffled

2. shaped or made thin by hammering

   a bowl of beaten gold

3. much travelled; well trodden (esp in the phrase the beaten track )

4. 1. in or into unfamiliar territory

   2. out of the ordinary; unusual

5. (of food) mixed by beating; whipped

6. tired out; exhausted

7. hunting (of woods, undergrowth, etc) scoured so as to rouse game

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Other Word Forms

• underbeaten
  adjective
• well-beaten
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of beaten

before 1100; Middle English beten, Old English bēaten, past participle of bēatan to beat

Explanation

Something that's beaten has been made smooth or thin from repeated impact, like the beaten surface of a silver bracelet, or the beaten path that leads to your hideout in the woods. To make something beaten, you have to beat it — strike or hammer it repeatedly. Food can also be beaten, like the beaten egg whites you put in a cake to make it light and fluffy. In this case, they're stirred with vigor. And when a person is beaten, they're despondent or defeated: "The beaten expression on his face showed how exhausting the last tennis match had been." Beaten comes from beat and its root meaning "to strike."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beaten

It was the first time United had led at home by two goals and lost since they were beaten 3-2 by Tottenham in 1976, half a century ago.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

At Friday’s close, new lows have beaten new highs for 14 sessions in a row.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

I say “surprising” because, despite sharply higher interest rates over the past six month, they have handily beaten value stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

And the beaten Englishwoman had already contributed significantly alongside Nadaud with Friday fourball and Saturday foursomes wins that helped ensure 8-8 parity after the first two days.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

The long list of situational phobias includes the fears of being bound, beaten, locked into an enclosed area, and smeared with human waste.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• humbled
• overpowered
• overwhelmed
• routed