BEATS Synonyms: 628 Similar and Opposite Words

beats 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of beat

as in licks

to strike repeatedly they attacked and beat him, but fortunately he'll be fine

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Relevance

as in defeats

to achieve a victory over she always beats everyone at checkers, but she's not as good at chess

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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

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loses (to)

as in throbs

to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner the patient's heart beats roughly 60 times per minute

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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

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as in frustrates

to prevent from achieving a goal you beat me to it

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as in draws

to shape with a hammer the medieval artisans who beat iron into exquisite swords

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as in glows

to shine with a bright harsh light the tropical sun beat down on our heads without mercy

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as in drums

to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically beat the drum in a marching rhythm

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as in confuses

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty it beats me how that slipup happened

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as in circumvents

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness he spends all of his time trying to beat the system

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as in grinds

to reduce to fine particles years of pounding had beaten the pebbles to a fine dust

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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

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beats

2 of 2

noun

plural of beat

as in blows

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument delivered one hard beat on the drums

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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

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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

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as in heartbeats

a very small space of time within a beat he was on the phone complaining about an error in his bill

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of beats

Verb

There is an art to stylizing a position of interrogation in excess of its biomechanics, an art to how lockstep beats a cadence while a unit swells into an enveloping arc. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 RingEx beats Unite hands down here, with hundreds of integration options. — John Brandon, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026 That real-time, low-friction ask often beats email UGC campaigns and gives PR and marketing teams authentic, ready-to-use social proof. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 For investors, the most important part of this report may therefore be less about whether Micron beats fourth-quarter estimates and more about whether management gives them reason to believe today’s profitability can last. — Isabella Gao, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026 Nothing beats the experience of paging through a beautiful book. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 Reacher beats mercenaries about the head with a bowling pin and a bowling trophy. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 The rain beats down incessantly, Lamb’s personal habits have not improved, and poor Cartwright is grieving someone close to him. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 17 Sep. 2026 That statement will be true whether Ole Miss beats LSU or loses by three touchdowns. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Noun

But alas, eventually all involved have to get down to business and actually contend with the plot beats of Hoover’s story, which is when the movie careens off a cliff, plummeting past so-bad-it’s-good and crashing on the rocks of agonizingly dumb. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 While a strong quarter is expected, investors might be less focused on earnings-per-share and revenue beats. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 Other researchers, including Scholes, performed similar experiments and found similar beats — even in experiments conducted at room temperature. — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026 Scott is tremendous and tragic in the film, maybe more so in its moments of dark humor than in its final beats of near operatic sadness. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026 Outside his tech support job, Singh had been working for years as a producer in Canada’s thriving Punjabi music scene, blending traditional folk sounds with hip-hop beats and trap melodies. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026 Model/Actriz join in, with awesomely butch robot commands over the industrial beats. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026 Beyond the sweeping bubblegum-pink marble staircase, DJ Lola Leon mixed ambient beats and there was plenty more sparkle to marvel at. — Simone Cook, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026 At all times, the Series 12 was within five beats per minute of the H10. — Victoria Song, The Verge, 17 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beats

Verb

That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.

— Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of licks

Verb

The Apex also surpasses the Alphafly 4 in weight savings, as the former model is 10 percent lighter than the Alphafly 3 compared to a 5 percent reduction on the latter.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
In recent years, Hinton, who previously worked at Google, has issued a series of warnings about existential risks associated with AI, particularly if an AI model surpasses human intelligence and becomes autonomous.

— Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of surpasses

Verb

Leaping around in time, Gilroy draws us into Alex’s world with an effervescent wink at the badness of his behavior.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Double Standard, the ground-floor bar, is a go-to for late-night drinks and a hip crowd, while the rooftop draws a steady stream of creatives with its panoramic cityscapes and lighthearted cocktails (in keeping with its stateside locations).

— Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of draws

Verb

The tool relies on a soluble liquid substitute that glows during the reaction, reducing measurement times to minutes and enabling rapid evaluation of large libraries of enzyme variants.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
The number 10 alludes to Yom Kippur, which falls on the 10th day of Tishrei, when the moon glows brighter.

— Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026