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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; 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.

Ace the AI table-tennis player is beating all comers.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

He likes that gross margin continued to improve, beating consensus forecasts by 30 basis points.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Karen Bass made history four years ago, beating real estate developer Rick Caruso by about 10 percentage points and becoming the first woman elected as Los Angeles mayor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Revenue climbed nearly 6% to $3.54 billion, beating the $3.51 billion Wall Street had anticipated.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

As the dust settled, we crouched behind the rocky outcrop, listened to the frantic beating of one another’s hearts, and watched the moon inch slowly above the ridgeline.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

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.