- past participle of beat.
beaten
Americanadjective
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formed or shaped by blows; hammered.
a dish of beaten brass.
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much trodden; commonly used.
a beaten path.
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defeated; vanquished; thwarted.
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overcome by exhaustion; fatigued by hard work, intense activity, etc.
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(of food) whipped up, pounded, pulverized, or the like.
adding three beaten eggs.
idioms
adjective
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defeated or baffled
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shaped or made thin by hammering
a bowl of beaten gold
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much travelled; well trodden (esp in the phrase the beaten track )
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in or into unfamiliar territory
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out of the ordinary; unusual
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(of food) mixed by beating; whipped
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tired out; exhausted
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hunting (of woods, undergrowth, etc) scoured so as to rouse game
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield last weekend, Liverpool have lost three successive games, conceding 10 goals in the process.
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025
Beaten finalists in 2022 when they lost to England, Germany are eight-time European champions but last won the title in 2013.
From BBC • Jul. 20, 2025
Beaten in the championship game the last two seasons, the Highlanders opened action with a 13-0, mercy-rule win over Banning in the Open Division.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025
Beaten captain Kazuki Himeno said he was "really proud of the boys" and the effort they put into the match.
From BBC • Oct. 8, 2023
“Still. . . you’ll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, haven’t you?”
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
