beaten
Americanadjective
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formed or shaped by blows; hammered.
a dish of beaten brass.
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much trodden; commonly used.
a beaten path.
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defeated; vanquished; thwarted.
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overcome by exhaustion; fatigued by hard work, intense activity, etc.
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(of food) whipped up, pounded, pulverized, or the like.
adding three beaten eggs.
idioms
adjective
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defeated or baffled
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shaped or made thin by hammering
a bowl of beaten gold
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much travelled; well trodden (esp in the phrase the beaten track )
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in or into unfamiliar territory
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out of the ordinary; unusual
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(of food) mixed by beating; whipped
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tired out; exhausted
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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.
“We’ve beaten Iran,” he told reporters at the White House Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
Although Arsenal have won nine of their opening 10 matches, they have arguably not been quite as convincing as they were during their title-winning campaign last season and were beaten 3-0 at Brighton in September.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
Scotland were beaten out the gate in the end.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
In one dish he is served by a neighbor, Usnavy finds “pieces of a blanket normally used for mopping floors . . . beaten and marinated in spices and a little beef broth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Do you know, Dad, that not one of us here has ever beaten you in a single game? Not checkers, not dominoes, not softball, nothing.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
