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

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

At the height of the fighting in the main breach, after repeated Ottoman attacks had been beaten back, Giustiniani was badly wounded and withdrew to seek treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

But Wales believed they could win, not least because they had beaten Belgium in a qualifier in Cardiff 13 months earlier, and they responded magnificently as captain Ashley Williams headed in a deserved equaliser.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

The ETF has been badly beaten down this month, with its shares posting a July loss of almost 38%, according to FactSet data, at last check on Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

We’re not just talking about the owners of teams tired of getting beaten by the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

“It is off the beaten path, I know. Few people even know this wing of the school exists, so it ought to be nice and quiet.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• humbled
• overpowered
• overwhelmed
• routed