Showing results for "beaten"

• past participle of beat.

beaten

American  

[beet-n] / ˈbit n /

adjective

1. formed or shaped by blows; hammered.

   a dish of beaten brass.

2. much trodden; commonly used.

   a beaten path.

3. defeated; vanquished; thwarted.

4. overcome by exhaustion; fatigued by hard work, intense activity, etc.

5. (of food) whipped up, pounded, pulverized, or the like.

   adding three beaten eggs.

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idioms

1. off the beaten track / path, novel; uncommon; out of the ordinary.

   a tiny shop that was off the beaten track.

beaten British  

/ ˈbiːtən /

adjective

1. defeated or baffled

2. shaped or made thin by hammering

   a bowl of beaten gold

3. much travelled; well trodden (esp in the phrase the beaten track )

4. 1. in or into unfamiliar territory

   2. out of the ordinary; unusual

5. (of food) mixed by beating; whipped

6. tired out; exhausted

7. hunting (of woods, undergrowth, etc) scoured so as to rouse game

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Other Word Forms

• underbeaten
  adjective
• well-beaten
  adjective

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

See Examples For:

beaten

The Texans have beaten the Colts five times in a row, but those were all close games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

And in even simpler games, they are now unplayable: A computer that’s given the opening move in a game of Connect Four cannot be beaten or even tied.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

I’m referring to buying stocks that are beaten down by tax-loss selling in the last quarter of the year, which far more often than not rebound in January after that selling has abated.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

The Kansas City Chiefs were back doing what they do best but the Baltimore Ravens were surprisingly beaten, while two games were settled in overtime and one decided with just nine seconds on the clock.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

“And I’ve never been beaten at an eating contest,” said Loki.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• humbled
• overpowered
• overwhelmed
• routed