noun
-
a whipping or thrashing, as in punishment
-
a defeat or setback
-
to be difficult to improve upon
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Rheinmetall reported that its preliminary second-quarter revenue rose about 69% to 3.29 billion euros, beating analyst expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
This may be one of those situations in which beating expectations is not necessarily a good thing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Lisa-Kaindé is the bleeding heart who whispers divinity into her lyrics, and Naomi grounds them with the beating pulse of her percussion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Mancini, 61, previously managed Italy from 2018 until 2023 and won Euro 2020 - beating England in the final at Wembley.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Star!" cried Rowan, struggling in Strong Jonn's arms, sobbing and beating at Strong Jonn's wet, muddy chest.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Later it took further beatings as they worked out how the 8,000-pound horse could be dragged over dunes and log rollers by actors with ropes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“People don’t have the bandwidth to respond with the kind of outrage that they would when you saw the beatings at Pan Pacific Park,” said Abdullah, referring to the LAPD’s response to protests in 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2025
Most of the biggest beatings in Celtic's European history have Rodgers’ name beside them.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024
Against Oregon — which ranks 11th in the same category — Johnson totaled 252 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry and three touchdowns across two separate beatings.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
“If Gurgi had not gone seeking help, he would not be here to serve you now. But he is here! Yes, yes, faithful Gurgi returns to beatings and bruisings from the terrifying warrior!”
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
