beating
37 synonyms and 0 antonyms for beating, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The act of repeatedly striking someone or something.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use beating
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
By surface analysis, beat + -ing.
Full origin of beating →Frequently asked questions
What does “beating” mean?
The word “beating” means the act of repeatedly striking someone or something. In plain terms, a physical thrashing, a heavy loss, or the pulse of a heart.
How do you pronounce “beating”?
“Beating” is pronounced BEE-tihng (/ˈbiːtɪŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “beating” in a sentence?
Here is “beating” used in a sentence: “The boxer took a beating in the final round.”
What is another word for “beating”?
Words with a similar meaning to “beating” include ass beating, ass kicking, battering, beatdown, boom-boom and clobbering.
What part of speech is “beating”?
“Beating” is a noun.
Is “beating” a common word?
“Beating” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “beating” have?
“Beating” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the act of repeatedly striking someone or something.
What does it mean to 'take a beating'?
Literally it means being repeatedly struck, but the phrase is often figurative. To take a beating can mean suffering a heavy defeat, loss, or damage: a team can take a beating in a match, or your savings can take a beating in a downturn. The idea is absorbing hard, repeated blows.
What is the difference between a beating and a hit?
A hit is a single blow or strike. A beating is a sustained series of blows, repeated striking rather than one impact. So one punch is a hit, but many blows delivered over a period of time, especially to hurt or overpower someone, add up to a beating.
Does 'beating' always mean violence?
No. While it often describes a physical assault, 'beating' also appears in harmless contexts. The beating of a heart is its steady pulsing; the beating of wings is their repeated flapping; beating eggs means whisking them briskly. In each case the shared idea is a repeated, rhythmic striking or motion.