beat
Base form
beat
/biːt/
Past simple
beat
/biːt/
Past participle
beatenbeaten / beat
/ˈbiːtn//ˈbiːtn/ /biːt/
MeaningB1
to defeat someone, or hit again and again
to beat around the bush
In use
- After a modal verb · Form 1Do you think we can beat them on Saturday?
- Imperative · Form 1Beat the eggs and sugar together for two minutes.
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday Leo beat his dad at chess for the first time.
- Past simple · Form 2Last season our team beat every side in the league.
- Passive · Form 3The home team were beaten 4–1 in front of their own fans.
- Present perfect · Form 3Nobody has beaten her record for the 100 metres.
Watch out
Past beat, participle beaten, never beated. Americans also say we got beat, but beaten is right everywhere: we were beaten 3–0.
Same pattern
A — B — CAll three forms differ
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
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