noun
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a whipping or thrashing, as in punishment
-
a defeat or setback
-
to be difficult to improve upon
Etymology
Origin of beating
First recorded in 1200–50; from Middle English betynge; see beat, -ing 1
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.
Burris said the experience has given him flashbacks to the period before King’s beating and the subsequent protests over police brutality, when officers felt they could act with impunity.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
These Knicks haven’t been merely beating the competition.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
It was also, however, the race in which it took a potentially decisive turn, putting a huge dent in George Russell's hopes of beating his 19-year-old Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to the championship.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Just saying it once feels like I’m beating a dead horse.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
To my right, from far up on a hillside, there was a loud gobbling and a beating of heavy wings.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
