beaten
Americanadjective
-
formed or shaped by blows; hammered.
a dish of beaten brass.
-
much trodden; commonly used.
a beaten path.
-
defeated; vanquished; thwarted.
-
overcome by exhaustion; fatigued by hard work, intense activity, etc.
-
(of food) whipped up, pounded, pulverized, or the like.
adding three beaten eggs.
idioms
adjective
-
defeated or baffled
-
shaped or made thin by hammering
a bowl of beaten gold
-
much travelled; well trodden (esp in the phrase the beaten track )
-
-
in or into unfamiliar territory
-
out of the ordinary; unusual
-
-
(of food) mixed by beating; whipped
-
tired out; exhausted
-
hunting (of woods, undergrowth, etc) scoured so as to rouse game
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of beaten
before 1100; Middle English beten, Old English bēaten, past participle of bēatan to beat
Explanation
Something that's beaten has been made smooth or thin from repeated impact, like the beaten surface of a silver bracelet, or the beaten path that leads to your hideout in the woods. To make something beaten, you have to beat it — strike or hammer it repeatedly. Food can also be beaten, like the beaten egg whites you put in a cake to make it light and fluffy. In this case, they're stirred with vigor. And when a person is beaten, they're despondent or defeated: "The beaten expression on his face showed how exhausting the last tennis match had been." Beaten comes from beat and its root meaning "to strike."
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.
And by the end of the afternoon, Rybakina had beaten the two-time defending champion 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to secure the first U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Les Dracs have now not made the end-of-season play-offs since their run to the Super League Grand Final in 2023 - where they were also beaten by Wigan.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The quality of the opposition should be taken into account - Stokes' England would have comfortably beaten this poor Pakistan side.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
David Raya: The Arsenal goalkeeper was beaten by the quality of Rogers' finish but dealt comfortably with the other efforts he faced and produced one stunning save late on from Estevao.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Moran's never beaten me at anything in his life.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
