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:
Farok was cleared of assault by beating in a criminal trial in November 2025.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Stocks endured a broad beating on Thursday, unlike anything seen in years, as fears of an end to the artificial-intelligence trade compelled investors to sell first and ask questions later.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
The company’s third-quarter revenue rose 12% to $4.94 billion, beating the $4.73 billion forecast by analysts surveyed by FactSet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Cardiopulmonary arrest, also called cardiac arrest, is when a person’s heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
“Not just anything. The blue ribbon, for beating that Shagufta Chaudhry,” Naano repeats, and I decide that Shagufta Chaudhry must be her sworn enemy.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
It would be unfair not to credit Benn's in-ring evolution, going from a raw novice who used to take beatings in sparring to becoming one of British boxing's most recognisable fighters.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
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
As one British study titled "Banter, bollockings and beatings" made clear, an often macho culture can prevail, including bizarre induction rituals.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2024
Get your share of food, work hard, stay well, stay as clean as possible, avoid beatings.
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
