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Synonyms

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.

An 18th consecutive home victory in the competition, beating a record that had stood since the 1880s.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

The South Korean consumer electronics giant’s operating profit likely rose 14% on year to 1.433 trillion won for the January-March period, beating the market consensus estimate of 1.376 trillion won, Cho reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Even Nvidia, the undisputed champion of artificial intelligence chipmaking and the beating heart of the broader AI boom, has slumped 18% since the tech trade turned sour last autumn.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

“It’s almost like it has a life of its own now, beating its own path,” says Burden.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

We race each other to the car and dive inside headfirst, with Autumn beating me by a split second.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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.