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.

---

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

---

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 Edison’s only loss of the season and the Chargers had beaten Servite in the regular season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

However, he was beaten to first by Norris, who consolidated the first place he had picked up on the first laps in the final session, and then Russell.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

For instance, total shareholder returns including dividends at European banks have beaten the Magnificent Seven over the last four years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Gunn looked beaten, but the ball didn’t dip low enough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

The crew staggered like dead men, utterly beaten from their labors, trying to pitch tents so they could crawl in to sleep.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• humbled
• overpowered
• overwhelmed
• routed