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

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Etymology

Origin of beaten

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

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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

He’ll end up with the second most popular livestream of the midterms, beaten out only by NBC’s Steve Kornacki—the stakes are high.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Corona Centennial could have beaten Santa Margarita and Mater Dei during the regular season if Jaden Walk-Green was available to kick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

In a 2013 interview, Cárdenas said he believed he had beaten Salinas by four percentage points although he said he had no evidence to support his claim.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Last year he beat Cundy at the National Track Championships, only to be beaten in turn by Cundy at the World Championships a few months later.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Somehow, Shackleton had always seemed invincible, but even the Boss had been beaten hard by the terrible night.

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

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Related Words

• humbled
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