1 [C] an act of hitting sb hard and repeatedly, as a punishment or in a fight:
to give sb a beating
2 [C] (informal) a very heavy defeat:
The team has taken a few beatings this season.
3 [U] a series of regular blows to sth such as a drum, or movements of sth, such as your heart; the sound that this makes:
He could hear the beating of his own heart. * the beating of drums / wings
IDIOMS
take some beating (BrE) to be difficult to do or be better than:
As a place to live, Oxford takes some beating.
