1
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in defeats
to achieve a victory over
she always beats everyone at checkers, but she's not as good at chess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in surpasses
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this new animated feature sure beats everything else that's ever been done in animation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in throbs
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in flutters
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
the bird's wings beat strongly as it soared in the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in frustrates
to prevent from achieving a goal
you beat me to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
as in glows
to shine with a bright harsh light
the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in drums
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
beat the drum in a marching rhythm
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in confuses
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it beats me how that slipup happened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in circumvents
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
he spends all of his time trying to beat the system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in grinds
to reduce to fine particles
years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust
Synonyms & Similar Words
13
as in plucks
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the screenwriter has filed a lawsuit, accusing the production company of beating him out of his share of the film's net profits
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in thumps
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered one hard beat on the drums
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pulses
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
a single beat of the heart is said to be all that separates the vice president from the presidency
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rhythms
the recurrent pattern formed by a series of sounds having a regular rise and fall in intensity
moved to the beat of the music
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in heartbeats
a very small space of time
within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of beats
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Good pitching beats good hitting.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
The nature of his creation may be horrific, but his heart beats the same as ours.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Texas beats Oklahoma 23-6 in the 121st edition of the Red River Rivalry.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2025
But certainly a methodical and coordinated approach beats what’s going on now.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Vegas beats itself with Geno Smith interceptions.
—Greg Cote
october 9, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
Peg beats Mel at most of the games because of her extensive experience in law enforcement.
—Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
The sudser is up 67% in multi-platform viewership from last year’s time period and beats ABC’s General Hospital by 7% among women 25-54 on broadcast, according to Nielsen.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Chloe Taylor,tasmin Lockwood,katrina Bishop,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
After the race, stick around for an afterparty featuring fiery beats from DJ Count Trackula.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
Neutral, consistent light beats filtered, shadowy shots every time.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Writer and director Lloyd optioned the book and shot it with an ensemble of actors who got detailed backstories for their characters and core narrative beats, along with the freedom to improvise dialogue.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The remix featured Swift’s lyrics over the Backstreet Boys' beats.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Mel Brooks’ best comedy shares many similarities with his other revered films – a strong grip of genre beats, a non-stop barrage of gags yanking us forward, and an eagerness to give every performer a chance to comedically shine.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Jesse spent years covering finance and cut his teeth at local newspapers, working local politics and police beats.
—Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Outside of school, he could be found alongside Mouse, working on new rhymes, new beats, trying to uncover opportunities to perform.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Double beats — where a company beats on both revenue and earnings — are happening more often, too.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Good pitching beats good hitting.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
The nature of his creation may be horrific, but his heart beats the same as ours.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Texas beats Oklahoma 23-6 in the 121st edition of the Red River Rivalry.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2025
But certainly a methodical and coordinated approach beats what’s going on now.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Vegas beats itself with Geno Smith interceptions.
—Greg Cote
october 9, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
Peg beats Mel at most of the games because of her extensive experience in law enforcement.
—Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
The sudser is up 67% in multi-platform viewership from last year’s time period and beats ABC’s General Hospital by 7% among women 25-54 on broadcast, according to Nielsen.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
Unicredit beats watch now Italian bank Unicredit also posted quarterly earnings above expectations on Wednesday, describing the three months to the end of September as a record quarter.
—Chloe Taylor,tasmin Lockwood,katrina Bishop,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
After the race, stick around for an afterparty featuring fiery beats from DJ Count Trackula.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
Neutral, consistent light beats filtered, shadowy shots every time.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Writer and director Lloyd optioned the book and shot it with an ensemble of actors who got detailed backstories for their characters and core narrative beats, along with the freedom to improvise dialogue.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The remix featured Swift’s lyrics over the Backstreet Boys' beats.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Mel Brooks’ best comedy shares many similarities with his other revered films – a strong grip of genre beats, a non-stop barrage of gags yanking us forward, and an eagerness to give every performer a chance to comedically shine.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Jesse spent years covering finance and cut his teeth at local newspapers, working local politics and police beats.
—Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Outside of school, he could be found alongside Mouse, working on new rhymes, new beats, trying to uncover opportunities to perform.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beats
Verb
-
Posted to the account @maisythemarshmallow on September 19, the video shows the dog, named Maisy, lying calmly as the cat snuggles up and licks her face.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In these sparsely populated spaces, the mountain always defeats the human, instilling a deep respect for the environment.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The Vigenère cipher ingeniously defeats straightforward frequency analysis because not all E’s, for example, will get mapped to the same letter.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The European Linen Sheet Set at Quince is only $140 and surpasses its expensive competitor in feel, weight, and quality.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The food pantry’s national delivery service received 410 new applications for support in just 10 days, an increase Bassett says surpasses their usual total from an entire quarter.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Portugal’s coastline throbs with beach goers and sports enthusiasts.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
That doesn’t always come in the form of on-court minutes, which frustrates segments of the fan base.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Oct. 2025
-
This inconsistency frustrates drivers and reduces their confidence in public charging networks, further slowing EV adoption.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One that draws not just mourners but tourists seeking out history.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Today, Boli Khela draws thousands from across the country and abroad.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The bar—made of white onyx—glows softly from within, inviting you to pull up a stool.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In New York City, Emma Stone glows in green, and Maya Rudolph appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These cues told the robot which drums to strike and when.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beats. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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