beating

beating — noun

1. a bad loss, especially one where the other side wins easily

1.nounC1
Definition

a bad loss, especially one where the other side wins easily

Example

United took a beating in Seoul and lost four-one.

take a beating = suffer a heavy defeat

After two weak debates, the mayor faced another beating at the polls.

Common collocations
  • take a beating
  • suffer a beating
  • heavy beating
  • election beating
  • bad beating
Synonyms
  • defeat

    the broadest and most neutral choice

  • drubbing

    more informal and stresses how one-sided the result was

  • rout

    suggests a very easy win for the other side

  • setback

    weaker and not always as complete or public

Antonyms
  • victory

    the result of winning instead of losing

  • triumph

    a stronger word for a clear or impressive win

Grammar Patterns

take a beating

suffer a beating

hand someone a beating

Usage Note

Often follows take, get, suffer, or hand somebody. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about physical violence to a person rather than losing a game, vote, or other contest.

Common Mistakes

Our team received a beating of 4-1.
Our team took a beating and lost 4-1.
take a beating is the usual pattern for this sense.

2. a violent punishment or attack in which someone is hit many times

2.nounC1
Definition

a violent punishment or attack in which someone is hit many times

Example

The guard gave the prisoner a beating after lights out.

give someone a beating

Police found blood on the stairs after the beating in the hall.

Common collocations
  • brutal beating
  • severe beating
  • take a beating
  • give someone a beating
  • fatal beating
Synonyms
  • assault

    broader and often used in legal or official contexts

  • battering

    stresses the physical damage caused by repeated blows

  • thrashing

    informal and often suggests a very severe attack

  • pummeling

    especially American and often suggests repeated punches

Antonyms
  • protection

    focuses on keeping someone safe from harm

Grammar Patterns

give someone a beating

take a beating

after a beating

Usage Note

Usually appears with verbs like give, get, take, or suffer. Common in reports about crime or abuse, and unlike sense 1 it refers to repeated blows to a person or animal.

Common Mistakes

He got beat by the gang.
He took a beating from the gang.
when you use the noun beating, the usual verb is take or get.

3. a steady sound or movement made by repeated strikes, as in a drum or a heart

3.nounC2
Definition

a steady sound or movement made by repeated strikes, as in a drum or a heart

Example

By dusk, the beating of drums rolled across the square.

beating of + noun

All night, Marta listened to the beating of rain on the tent.

beating of + noun for a repeated sound

Common collocations
  • beating of drums
  • beating of wings
  • steady beating
  • faint beating
  • fast beating
Synonyms
  • pulse

    mainly used for the movement of blood or the heart

  • throb

    suggests a strong repeated beat that can also be felt

  • rhythm

    focuses on the regular pattern more than the sound itself

Antonyms
  • stillness

    suggests an absence of movement or repeated sound

Grammar Patterns

the beating of drums

the beating in someone's chest

hear the beating of wings

Usage Note

Often appears in the pattern beating of + noun, especially with drums, wings, or other repeated movements. For the ordinary everyday sense of a person's heart, heartbeat is usually more natural.

Common Mistakes

The doctor checked my beating.
The doctor checked my heartbeat.
heartbeat is the usual everyday word for a person's heart movement.
Idioms

take some beating

idiom

If something takes some beating, it is very good and hard to improve on.

The view from this hill takes some beating on a clear day.

Does your grandmother's apple pie take some beating?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

For sense 2, beating suggests repeated blows and usually makes the violence feel direct and physical. Assault is broader and more formal; it can include one attack, a threat, or a case described in police or court language. Battering stresses damage from heavy repeated force, so it often appears when the victim is badly hurt or when an object is hit again and again. Thrashing is more informal and can sound slightly old-fashioned or dramatic. A news report may say a man suffered an assault outside a station, but a witness might say he took a beating. If a child keeps striking a drum, that is not a beating in this sense; if a gang attacks someone, it is.

beating ↗assault ↗batteringthrashing

Common collocations

Phrases

  • take a beating

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Beating is built from the verb beat and the ending -ing. Beat comes from Old English beatan, meaning to strike again and again, and the noun kept that idea in senses about repeated blows, heavy losses, and regular striking sounds.