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

Incredibly, Liverpool were beaten to the title by Manchester City, but they became European champions and the following season won a first league title in 30 years.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Ian Maatsen: With new signing Matteo Ruggeri on the bench, he has competition and had his hands full with Bukayo Saka, and was beaten to the ball for the goal.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Trojan safeties were beaten multiple times, including on a 28-yard pass from Spartans quarterback Luke Weaver to Jerry McClure over freshman Madden Riordan, which made it 35-9 with 14:56 to play in the fourth quarter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Murillo: Unafraid to drive with the ball and put in a solid shift but was well beaten by Munoz for the goal that made it 2-2.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Turner, who exhibited an opéra bouffe appearance but was a slashing and dangerous player, had beaten Bobby in the previous year’s Rosenwald.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• humbled
• overpowered
• overwhelmed
• routed