backbeat

American  

[bak-beet] / ˈbækˌbit /

noun

Popular Music.

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

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of backbeat

back ¹ + beat

Example Sentences

The album’s opener, “What Can I Say,” is a rollicking, danceable breakup song fortified by a sharp backbeat, funky bassline and synthesizer strings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

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 • Dec. 1, 2025

She observes, “You’re an angel, you’re a demon/Ain’t got no rhyme, ain’t go no reason,” as folk-rock fingerpicking, a jaunty backbeat and hoedown handclaps carry her through the contradictions.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2023

Others were written especially for the album, like “Dance Revival,” which features a foot-stomping, hand-clapping backbeat behind the electrifying voice of Jekalyn Carr.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2023

They created a cultural rumble, a backbeat of intrigue.

From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2022