beat

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. throb, stroke, accent, rhythm; pulse; route. See business, region. —v. throb, pulsate; strike, batter; conquer, defeat. See regularity, impulse, superiority, agitation.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [*Tired]

Syn. weary, fatigued, worn out; see tired .

2. [Unconventional]

Syn. Bohemian, beatnik, Left Bank; see unconventional .

n.

1. [A stroke]

Syn. thump, punch, strike, hit, lash, slap, swing, shake; see also blow 1 .

2. [A throb]

Syn. pulsation, pulse, cadence, vibration, drum, throb, pound, thump, tick, oscillation, flow, surge, ripple, impulse, undulation, palpitation, flutter, rhythm, tattoo, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat, pitapat, pitter-patter.

3. [A unit of music]

Syn. accent, vibration, division, stress, measure, rhythm, meter, time, tempo, downbeat, upbeat, offbeat.

v.

1. [To strike repeatedly]

Syn. pound, hammer, pummel, batter, whack, strike, hit, bang, drum, thump, knock, rap; see also sense 2, hit 1 .

2. [To thrash]

Syn. punish, whip, flog, castigate, drub, club, trounce, spank, smite, scourge, switch, lash, slap, smack, punch, cuff, box, pummel, strap, birch, cane, flagellate, horsewhip, pistol-whip, buffet, beat up, give a thumping, lay on blows, rap, strike, hit, knock, lambaste, ram, pound, cudgel, bludgeon, bastinado, bat, flail, batter, maul, maltreat, belabor, clout, clobber*, lace*, bang*, swat*, thump*, slug*, beat black and blue*, pound to a jelly, beat to a jelly, beat to a paste*, hide*, give it to*, let have it*, give a workout*, whale*, belt*, sock*, whack*, trim*, beat the tar out of*, knock the tar out of*, knock the daylights out of*, knock the hell out of*, knock the stuffing out of*, lick the pants off of*, larrup*, wallop*, lick*, paste*, bash*, whang*, lay into*, baste*, work over*, rough up*, thwack*, whop*, paddle*, crown*, lather*, leather*, tan*, tan one's hide*, knock one's block off*.

3. [To pulsate]

Syn. pound, thump, strike, throb, hammer, tick, ripple, flutter, flap, undulate, ebb and flow, vibrate, swing, palpitate, rise and fall, fluctuate, flicker, oscillate, pulse, dash against, buffet, pitapat, go pitapat.

4. [To worst]

Syn. overcome, surpass, conquer; see defeat 1 , 2 , 3 .

5. [To mix]

Syn. stir, whip, whisk; see mix 1 .

6. [*To perplex]

Syn. puzzle, baffle, befuddle; see confuse .

7. [*To swindle]

Syn. defraud, cheat, dupe; see deceive .

Syn.- beat , the most general word in this comParison, conveys the basic idea of hitting or striking repeatedly, whether with the hands, a stick, or other instrument; pound suggests heavier, more effective blows than beat [ to pound with a hammer ] ; pummel implies the beating of a person with the fists and suggests a continuous, indiscriminate rain of damaging blows; thrash , originally referring to the beating of grain with a flail, suggests similar broad, swinging strokes, as in striking a person repeatedly with a stick or whip; flog implies punishment by the infliction of repeated blows with a strap, whip, stick, etc.; whip , often used as an equivalent of flog , specifically suggests lashing strokes or motions; maul implies the infliction of repeated heavy blows so as to bruise or lacerate: most of these terms are used loosely, esp. by journalists, in describing a decisive victory in a contest

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. cadence rhythm, pulse, pulsation, meter.

2. circuit walk, rounds, route, precinct.

II

v.

1. batter pound, strike, hammer, bang, pummel, thrash, *thump, hit, smack, flog, cuff, *whomp, *slug, *belt, box, *whale on, punch.

2. mold fashion, forge, shape.

3. defeat win over, vanquish, rout, best, subdue, *kick butt, outstrip, outdistance, prevail over, *smoke the competition, *leave the competition in one's wake, lick, top.

4. pulsate throb, palpitate, vibrate, thump.

5. whip stir, mix.

III

a.

tired, exhausted, enervated.

ANT.: energized, invigorated

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows: assail, assault, baste, batter, belabor, buffet, drub, hammer, pound, pummel, smash, thrash, thresh. Informal: lambaste. Slang: clobber. Idiom: rain blows on. See ATTACK, STRIKE. 2. To punish with blows or lashes: flog, hide2, lash, thrash, whip. Informal: trim. Slang: lay into, lick. See ATTACK, REWARD. 3. To move (one's arms or wings, for example) up and down: flap, flitter, flop, flutter, waggle, wave. See REPETITION. 4. To indicate (time or rhythm), as with repeated gestures or sounds: count. Idioms: keep time, mark time. See REPETITION. 5. To make rhythmic contractions, sounds, or movements: palpitate, pound, pulsate, pulse, throb. See REPETITION, SOUNDS. 6. To shape, break, or flatten with repeated blows: forge1, hammer, pound. See REPETITION, STRIKE. 7. To mix rapidly to a frothy consistency: whip, whisk. See ASSEMBLE, REPETITION. 8. To win a victory over, as in battle or a competition: best, conquer, defeat, master, overcome, prevail against (or over), rout, subdue, subjugate, surmount, triumph over, vanquish, worst. Informal: trim, whip. Slang: ace, lick. Idioms: carry (or win) the day, get (or have) the best of, get (or have) the better of, go someone one better. See WIN. 9. Informal. To be greater or better than: best, better1, exceed, excel, outdo, outmatch, outrun, outshine, outstrip, pass, surpass, top, transcend. Idioms: go beyond, go one better. See BIG. 10. Slang. To make incapable of finding something to think, do, or say: confound, nonplus. Informal: flummox, stick, stump, throw. Idiom: put someone at a loss. See AFFECT, KNOWLEDGE. II noun 1. A stroke or blow, especially one that produces a sound: clunk, pound, thud, thump. See ATTACK, SOUNDS, STRIKE. 2. A periodic contraction or sound of something coursing: palpitation, pulsation, pulse, throb. See REPETITION, SOUNDS. 3. The patterned, recurring alternation of contrasting elements, such as stressed and unstressed notes in music: cadence, cadency, measure, meter, rhythm, swing. See REPETITION. 4. An area regularly covered, as by a policeman or reporter: circuit, round, route. See TERRITORY. III adjective Informal. Extremely tired: bleary, dead, drained, exhausted, fatigued, rundown, spent, tired out, wearied, weariful, weary, worn-down, worn-out. Informal: bushed, tuckered (out). Slang: done in, fagged (out), pooped (out). Idioms: all in, ready to drop. See HEALTH, TIRED.