beater
Americannoun
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a person or thing that beats.
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an implement or device for beating something (usually used in combination).
the two beaters on an electric mixer;
an old-fashioned rug beater that loosens dirt with every forceful whack.
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Slang: Offensive. wifebeater.
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Informal. an old vehicle that is in poor condition.
I drive a beater that I bought for $2,000.
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Hunting. a person who rouses or drives game from cover.
The beater flushed a covey of grouse.
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Papermaking. a machine for beating half-stuff to pulp by separating and shortening the fibers to produce a gelatinous mass.
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Textiles. reed.
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Newfoundland. a young seal, usually a month to six weeks old, having completely or almost completely shed its initial white fur.
noun
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a person who beats or hammers
a panel beater
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an instrument or device used for beating
a carpet beater
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a person who rouses wild game from woodland, undergrowth, etc
Etymology
Origin of beater
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English beter, better; see origin at beat, -er 1; the seals in beater def. 8 are so named for their beating of the water with their flippers as they learn to swim
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.
It was a world beater and helped put BMW on the map internationally as a car builder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025
“No one on our team would want anyone to hit a buzzer beater more from three than Dearica,” Plum said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2025
I didn’t have the cash on hand, and I couldn’t trust putting my family in an old beater.
From Slate • Mar. 9, 2024
So it seems appropriate that John drives not a souped-up sports car but a true beater, modified to handle the wear and tear of the apocalypse.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2023
An older man wearing a white chef’s coat and a black-and-white bandanna on his head stood in front of it, peering inside as the huge beater spun around to mix the batter.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
