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beating

American  
[bee-ting] / ˈbi tɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that beats, as to punish, clean, mix, etc..

    Give the rug a good beating.

  2. a defeat or reverse; loss; setback

    Several stocks took a beating in the market today.

  3. pulsation; throbbing.

    the beating of her heart.
beating British  
/ ˈbiːtɪŋ /

noun

  1. a whipping or thrashing, as in punishment

  2. a defeat or setback

  3. to be difficult to improve upon

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of beating

First recorded in 1200–50; from Middle English betynge; 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.

It’s the same sun beating down on us all, Albert Camus memorably conveyed in his oft-debated 1942 novel “The Stranger,” it’s just the individual temperatures that vary.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Applied Digital falls despite beating estimates as the data-center developer announces no new hyperscaler deals.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Rory McIlroy won the Masters last year, beating Justin Rose in a playoff to complete his career grand slam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Shares of companies that benefited the most from the Iran conflict were understandably taking a broad beating in early Wednesday trading, as the cease-fire sent oil and other commodity prices plunging.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 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.