backbeat

American  

[bak-beet] / ˈbækˌbit /

noun

Popular Music.

1. a secondary or supplementary beat, as by a jazz drummer.

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backbeat British  

/ ˈbækˌbiːt /

noun

1. music the second and fourth beats of a bar written in even time or, in more complex time signatures, the last beat of the bar Compare downbeat upbeat

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Etymology

Origin of backbeat

back ¹ + beat

Example Sentences

The album started with quiet wind and then turned into a tornado of thunder and sirens, swordplay and gunfire over big horns and a funky soul backbeat.

From Los Angeles Times

Reggaeton is the backbeat of the Global South and thrills the North; “Tropicoqueta” was a gift of the music she adored growing up with, it belongs to the world now too.

From Los Angeles Times

The standout track, “Amor,” is a simple tune with a catchy backbeat and lyrics that cease to complicate concepts of love.

From Los Angeles Times

What had been the backbeat of a bygone epoch, the waltz amazingly survived in the 20th century.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a jauntily asymmetrical tune that rides a bluesy riff and a backbeat from the drummer Dave King of the Bad Plus.

From New York Times