beating

[bee-ting]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that beats, as to punish, clean, mix, etc..

   Give the rug a good beating.

2. a defeat or reverse; loss; setback

   Several stocks took a beating in the market today.

3. pulsation; throbbing.

   the beating of her heart.

beating

/ ˈbiːtɪŋ /

noun

1. a whipping or thrashing, as in punishment

2. a defeat or setback

3. to be difficult to improve upon

Word History and Origins

Origin of beating¹

First recorded in 1200–50; from Middle English betynge; beat, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

But simmering doubts over how much AI can keep pushing the market has been beating down on investors’ heads.

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Bigger runners regularly beating smaller ones challenges the long-held conventional wisdom that a mid- to long-distance runner should be as light as possible.

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As a collective they are cruel, taunting and beating the hostages, denying them food for the slightest infraction.

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Sothea, the foster parents behind the 2017 beatings and much of the project’s administrative staff were put on leave and eventually dismissed.

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The Argentine peso took another beating last week, with the unofficial rate used to settle financial-asset transactions breaking through the government’s upper band of 1,500 pesos to the dollar.

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Related Words

• defeat 
• drubbing 
• slaughter 
• whipping