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

Derived Forms

• well-beaten
  adjective
• underbeaten
  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

Archer was part of the Rajasthan Royals team beaten in the IPL qualifier by Gujarat Titans on Friday.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Since the bottom of that brief selloff through Tuesday, the S&P 500 High Beta Index has beaten a group of low-volatility stocks by a whopping 123 percentage points.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

GameStop is looking to buy back some of its stock, which has been beaten down in the wake of a controversial bid for eBay.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

In the past three months, about a third of S&P 500 constituents have beaten the index, the lowest portion since at least 1999, according to Trivariate Research.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

I knew what Chandra said was true, but I also knew that I could not crawl about like a beaten dog.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

Related Words

• humbled
• overpowered
• overwhelmed
• routed