beat

Universal Words verb, noun, adjective verb (beat, beaten ) in game 1 [VN] ~ sb (at sth) to defeat sb in a game or competition: He beat me at chess. * Their recent wins have proved they're still the ones to beat (= the most difficult team to beat). control 2 [VN] to get control of sth SYNDEFEAT: The government's main aim is to beat inflation. be too difficult 3 to be too difficult for sb SYNDEFEAT: [VN] a problem that beats even the experts * [VNwh-] It beats me (= I don't know) why he did it. * What beats me is how it was done so quickly (= I don't understand how). be better 4 [VN] to do or be better than sth: Nothing beats home cooking. * You can't beat Italian shoes. * They want to beat the speed record (= go faster than anyone before). avoid 5 [VN] to avoid sth: If we go early we should beat the traffic. * We were up and off early to beat the heat. hit 6 to hit sb/sth many times, usually very hard: [V, +adv./prep.] Somebody was beating at the door. * Hailstones beat against the window. * [VN] [often +adv./prep.] Someone was beating a drum. * She was beating dust out of the carpet (= removing dust from the carpet by beating it). * An elderly man was found beaten to death. * At that time children were regularly beaten for quite minor offences (= a punishment). * The prisoners were beaten into submission (= they were beaten until they did what was wanted). * [VN-ADJ] They beat him unconscious (= hit him until he became unconscious). of heart / drums / wings 7 to make, or cause sth to make, a regular sound or movement: [V] She's alive-her heart is still beating. * We heard the drums beating. * [VN] The bird was beating its wings (= moving them up and down) frantically. mix 8 [VN] ~ sth (up)