noun
-
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.
City won the FA Cup for the third time under Guardiola by beating Chelsea on Saturday and, perhaps significantly, he took a picture holding the trophy with each member of staff one by one.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party suffered a beating in regional elections in Andalusia over the weekend, extending a series of local poll losses ahead of next year's general election.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Mikel Arteta, who is on the verge of beating City to the Premier League title with Arsenal, was given his first senior coaching post as Guardiola's assistant.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The beating heart of Kentucky’s bourbon country sits inside a towering building that bills itself as “The Hardest Working Still in America” in large white letters.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Maybe it’s another one of your many talents to add to pie baking, fancy writing, and beating boys at footraces.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
