- present participle of beat.
noun
-
a whipping or thrashing, as in punishment
-
a defeat or setback
-
to be difficult to improve upon
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Overall revenue for the period increased 10% to C$9.9 billion, beating the C$9.73 analysts had expected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Sharpe’s argument boils down to the simple insight that beating the market is a zero-sum game before transaction costs — but after transaction costs are taken into account, it becomes a negative-sum game.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The surfer team couldn’t handle it, with Servite beating the Chargers 16-6 in the Pac-5 championship game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing index for August rose to 47.4 from 41.4 in July, beating economists expectations for just 24.1 Leading economic indicators are due at 10 a.m.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
I’m afraid my heart will leap out of my chest, it’s beating so hard.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Later it took further beatings as they worked out how the 8,000-pound horse could be dragged over dunes and log rollers by actors with ropes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“People don’t have the bandwidth to respond with the kind of outrage that they would when you saw the beatings at Pan Pacific Park,” said Abdullah, referring to the LAPD’s response to protests in 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2025
Most of the biggest beatings in Celtic's European history have Rodgers’ name beside them.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024
As one British study titled "Banter, bollockings and beatings" made clear, an often macho culture can prevail, including bizarre induction rituals.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2024
“If Gurgi had not gone seeking help, he would not be here to serve you now. But he is here! Yes, yes, faithful Gurgi returns to beatings and bruisings from the terrifying warrior!”
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
