beat
[verb]
Synonyms:
- hit, bang, batter, buffet, knock, pound, strike, thrash
- flap, flutter
- throb, palpitate, pound, pulsate, quake, thump, vibrate
- defeat, conquer, outdo, overcome, overwhelm, surpass, vanquish
[noun]
Synonyms:
- throb, palpitation, pulsation, pulse
- route, circuit, course, path, rounds, way
- rhythm, accent, cadence, metre, stress, time

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Related Idioms: give one beans, rain blows on, beat (all) hollow
Related Words: bastinado, baton, bludgeon, cudgel, fustigate, pistol-whip, flog, lace, lash, tan, whip, lay on, maul, muss up, rough (up)

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English Thesaurus: beat, defeat, trounce, thrash, wipe the floor with somebody, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. beat¹ S2 W2 /biːt/ verb (past tense beat, past participle beaten /ˈbiːtn/)
[Word Family: noun: beat, beating; adjective: beatable ≠ unbeatable, beaten ≠ unbeaten; verb: beat]
[Language: Old English; Origin: beatan]

1. COMPETITION/ELECTION [transitive] to get the most points, votes etc in a game, race, or competition Synonym : defeat:
Brazil were beaten 2–1.
Labour easily beat the Conservatives in the last election.
beat somebody at/in something
I beat him more often at pool than he beats me.
beat somebody hollow British English beat the pants off somebody American English (=defeat them easily)

2. HIT [transitive] to hit someone or something many times with your hand, a stick etc:
photographs of rioters beating a policeman
He was questioned and beaten.
The woman had been beaten to death by her husband.
Two prisoners were beaten unconscious.
beat somebody black and blue (=hit someone until it makes marks on their body)
beat the living daylights out of somebody (=beat someone very hard)

3. HIT AGAINST [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit against something many times or continuously
beat on/against/at etc
Waves beat against the cliffs.
rain beating on the windows
Sid beat on the door with his hand.

4. DO BETTER [transitive] to do something better, faster etc than what was best before
beat a record/score etc
The record set by Kierson in '84 has yet to be beaten.
The company’s profits are unlikely to beat last year’s £10 million.

5. BE BETTER [transitive not in progressive] especially spoken to be much better and more enjoyable than something else:
Fresh milk beats powdered milk any time.
beat doing something
‘Well,’ said Culley, ‘it beats going to the office.’
You can’t beat swimming as a good all-body exercise.
Nothing beats homemade cake.
you can’t beat something (for something)
For excitement, you just can’t beat college basketball.

6. FOOD [intransitive and transitive] to mix things together quickly with a fork or special kitchen machine:
Beat the eggs, then add the milk.
beat something in
Gradually beat in the sugar.
beat something together
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

7. CONTROL/DEAL WITH [transitive] to successfully deal with a problem that you have been struggling with Synonym : conquer:
advice on how to beat depression
the government’s long fight to beat inflation

8. HEART [intransitive] when your heart beats, it moves in a regular rhythm as it pumps your blood:
The average person’s heart beats 70 times a minute.
Jennifer’s heart was beating fast.

9. DRUMS [intransitive and transitive] if you beat drums, or if drums beat, they make a regular continuous sound

10. WINGS [intransitive and transitive] if a bird beats its wings, or if its wings beat, they move up and down quickly and regularly Synonym : flap

11. take some beating if something or someone will take some beating, it will be difficult for anyone or anything to be or do better:
Raikkonen has 42 points, which will take some beating.
Florida takes some beating as a vacation destination.

12. AVOID [transitive] to avoid situations in which a lot of people are trying to do something, usually by doing something early:
We left at four a.m. to beat the traffic.
Shopping by mail order lets you beat the queues.
Shop now and beat the Christmas rush!

13. DO BEFORE SOMEBODY ELSE [transitive] informal to get or do something before someone else, especially if you are both trying to do it first
beat somebody to something
John had beaten me to the breakfast table.
I wanted the last piece of pie, but somebody beat me to it.
They wanted to make it into a film, but another studio beat them to the punch.

14. beat about/around the bush to avoid or delay talking about something embarrassing or unpleasant:
Don’t beat around the bush. Ask for your account to be paid, and paid quickly.

15. beat the system to find ways of avoiding or breaking the rules of an organization, system etc, in order to achieve what you want:
Accountants know a few ways to beat the system.

16. beat a path to sb’s door (also beat down sb’s door) if people beat a path to your door, they are interested in something you are selling, a service you are providing etc:
The new design was supposed to have consumers beating a path to their door.

17. beat a (hasty) retreat to leave somewhere or stop doing something very quickly, in order to avoid a bad situation:
He beat a hasty retreat when he spotted me.

18. beat the clock to finish something very quickly, especially before a particular time:
The company managed to beat the clock on delivering its new system.


SPOKEN PHRASES

19. (it) beats me used to say that you do not know something, or cannot understand or explain it:
Beats me why he wants such a big car.
‘What’s he saying?’ ‘Beats me.’

20. beat it! used to tell someone to leave at once, because they are annoying you or should not be there

21. can you beat that/it? used to show that you are surprised or annoyed by something:
They’ve got eight children! Can you beat that?

22. beat your brains out to think about something very hard and for a long time:
I’ve been beating my brains out all week trying to finish this essay.

23. if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em used when you decide to take part in something even though you disapprove of it, because everyone else is doing it and you cannot stop them

24. beat the rap American English informal to avoid being punished for something you have done

25. beat time to make regular movements or sounds to show the speed at which music should be played:
a conductor beating time with his baton

26. beat a path/track to make a path by walking over an area of land

27. to beat the band American English informal in large amounts or with great force:
It’s raining to beat the band.

28. beat the heat American English informal to make yourself cooler:
Fresh lemonade is a great way to beat the heat.

29. METAL (also beat out) [transitive] to hit metal with a hammer in order to shape it or make it thinner

30. HUNTING [intransitive and transitive] to force wild birds and animals out of bushes, long grass etc so that they can be shot for sport

31. beat your breast literary to show clearly that you are very upset or sorry about something
⇒ beaten, beating

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. beat² S3 noun
[Word Family: noun: beat, beating; adjective: beatable ≠ unbeatable, beaten ≠ unbeaten; verb: beat]

1. [countable] one of a series of regular movements or hitting actions:
a heart rate of 80 beats a minute
the steady beat of the drum

2. [singular] a regular repeated noise Synonym : rhythm
beat of
the beat of marching feet

3. [countable] the main rhythm that a piece of music or a poem has:
a song with a beat you can dance to

4. [singular] a subject or area of a city that someone is responsible for as their job:
journalists covering the Washington beat
on the beat
People like to see police officers on the beat.

5. [countable] one of the notes in a piece of music that sounds stronger than the other notes

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. beat³ adjective [not before noun]
informal very tired Synonym : exhausted:
I’m beat.
Come and sit down – you must be dead beat.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

beat
noun
I. rhythm
ADJ. regular, rhythmic, steady | pounding
VERB + BEAT clap to, dance to, sway to They danced to the rhythmic beat of the music.
PHRASES two, three, four, etc. beats to the bar The piece has four beats to the bar.
sb's heart misses/skips a beat (= sb feels very nervous) As I opened the letter, my heart missed a beat.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat
II. of a police officer
VERB + BEAT pound, walk We have two officers walking the beat after midnight.
PREP. on the ~ officers on the beat

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat
verb
I. in a game
ADV. comfortably, comprehensively, convincingly, easily, hands down, soundly He beat her hands down.
narrowly He was narrowly beaten by his opponent.
PREP. at She beat him at chess.
by beating her by just three points
PHRASES beat sb into second, third, etc. place He was beaten into second place by the American.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat
II. hit sb
ADV. badly, brutally, savagely, severely, violently
PREP. with She was beaten with a metal bar.
PHRASES beat sb about/over the head He had been beaten about the head with a rock.
beat sb to death, beat sb unconscious

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat
IV. of heart/wings
ADV. fast, frantically, painfully, rapidly, wildly I could feel my heart beating wildly.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat
V. mix
ADV. thoroughly, well Beat the mixture well, until it is light and creamy.
lightly Add three eggs, lightly beaten.
PHRASAL VERBS beat down
ADV. mercilessly, relentlessly
PREP. on/upon The African sun beat relentlessly down on his aching head.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat

easily beat somebody
Jason easily beats me at chess every time we play.
narrowly beat somebody (=by only a few points, votes etc)
New Zealand narrowly beat the Springboks in South Africa.
comfortably beat somebody (=by more than a few points, votes etc)
He comfortably beat the second placed candidate.
soundly beat somebody (=by a lot of points, votes etc)
In each event she soundly beat her opponents.
beat somebody hands down (=beat someone very easily)
He should be able to beat them all hands down.
comprehensively beat somebody (=by a lot of points, votes etc)
There’s no point trying to offer excuses as to why we were so comprehensively beaten.
convincingly beat somebody (=in a way that clearly shows somebody deserves to win)
Mexico convincingly beat Brazil 2–0.
beat somebody into second/third etc place
He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English:
We should have beaten them easily.
I always beat my brother at tennis.
defeat to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing:
England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.
Bush defeated Kerry in the election.
trounce /traʊns/ to defeat someone completely in a game:
They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.
thrash British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game:
Of course, they totally creamed the other team.
I hope we thrash them!
wipe the floor with somebody informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument:
She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.
They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
tired feeling that you want to sleep or rest:
I was really tired the next day.
the tired faces of the children
exhausted extremely tired:
I was exhausted after the long trip home.
He sat down, exhausted.
She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard:
With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time:
weary travellers
a weary sigh
He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
fatigued formal very tired:
They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.
Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone:
Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired:
I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.
I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use - do not use it in polite conversation:
By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired:
When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep:
I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hit to hit someone quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etc:
He hit him hard in the stomach.
I don’t like to see people hitting a dog.
beat to hit someone deliberately many times, especially very hard:
The girl had been beaten to death.
He was beating the donkey with a stick.
strike written to hit someone with your hand or a weapon. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written English:
Her husband struck her twice across the face.
Police say that the man had been struck on the head.
punch to hit someone hard with your closed hand, especially in a fight:
I punched him on the nose.
She was screaming and punching him with her fists.
thump /θʌmp/ informal to punch someone very hard:
Sometimes I just want to thump him.
beat somebody up to hurt someone badly in a violent attack, by hitting them many times:
If I tell the police, they'll beat me up.
He had been beaten up and tortured with lighted cigarettes.
slap to hit someone with your open hand, especially because you are angry with them:
They had a big row and she ended up slapping him.
spank (also smack especially British English) to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them:
Should a parent ever smack a child?
I don’t agree with smacking.
In those days, children were spanked if they behaved badly.
bang a loud sound caused especially when something hard or heavy hits something else:
I heard a loud bang and rushed out to see what had happened.
He slammed the door shut with a bang.
crash a very loud sound caused when something hits something else, especially when damage is caused:
The tray of dishes fell to the floor with a crash.
I heard an enormous crash outside our house, and I went to see what had happened.
thud a quiet low sound made when a heavy object falls down onto surface:
There was a dull thud as the box hit the floor.
His head hit the ground with a sickening thud.
clink a short ringing sound made when two glass, metal, or china objects hit each other:
the clink of champagne glasses
The clink of cutlery could be heard in the restaurant.
tinkle the pleasant sound that is made by light pieces of glass or metal hitting each other repeatedly:
He listened to the faint tinkle of cow bells in the distance.
jingle the sound of small metal objects being shaken together:
the jingle of her bracelets
the jingle of keys
rattle a short repeated sound made when things hit against each other - used especially when part of something is loose and is hitting against something:
There was a strange rattle coming from the engine.
the rattle of the trolley

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hit to hit someone quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etc:
He hit him hard in the stomach.
I don’t like to see people hitting a dog.
beat to hit someone deliberately many times, especially very hard:
The girl had been beaten to death.
He was beating the donkey with a stick.
strike written to hit someone with your hand or a weapon. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written English:
Her husband struck her twice across the face.
Police say that the man had been struck on the head.
punch to hit someone hard with your closed hand, especially in a fight:
I punched him on the nose.
She was screaming and punching him with her fists.
thump /θʌmp/ informal to punch someone very hard:
Sometimes I just want to thump him.
beat somebody up to hurt someone badly in a violent attack, by hitting them many times:
If I tell the police, they'll beat me up.
He had been beaten up and tortured with lighted cigarettes.
slap to hit someone with your open hand, especially because you are angry with them:
They had a big row and she ended up slapping him.
spank (also smack especially British English) to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them:
Should a parent ever smack a child?
I don’t agree with smacking.
In those days, children were spanked if they behaved badly.
knock to hit a door or window with your closed hand in order to attract the attention of the people inside:
Someone was knocking on the door.
I knocked loudly but no one came.
whack /wæk/ informal to hit something very hard:
Edmonds whacked the ball into the air.
bash to hit something hard, especially in a way that causes damage:
The police had to bash the door down to get in.
tap to gently hit something with your fingers, often in order to attract someone’s attention:
I tapped him on the shoulder.
I heard someone tapping on the window.
rap to knock quickly or hit something several times:
He rapped the table with his pen to bring the meeting to order.
Two police officers rapped on the door at 7 o'clock in the morning.
bang to suddenly hit something hard, in a way that makes a loud noise:
Her father banged his fist down on the table angrily.
The door suddenly banged shut.
pound written to hit something many times with a lot of force:
I could hear the sea pounding on the rocks.
She pounded on the door and shouted wildly.
hammer written to hit something quickly many times making a loud continuous noise:
The rain was hammering on the roof.
A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.
bump to hit a part of your body against something, especially because you do not see or notice it:
Careful you don’t bump your head – the ceiling’s very low.
bang/bash to hit something hard, so that you hurt yourself or damage something:
He banged into the car in front.
I bashed my knee climbing over a gate.
She fell and bashed her chin on the ground.
stub to hit your toe against something and hurt it:
I stubbed my toe on the piano leg.
bestseller a book that a lot of people buy:
His prize-winning book ‘A Year in Provence’ became an international bestseller.
blockbuster a film that a lot of people watch, especially an exciting film:
a Hollywood blockbuster
a blockbuster movie
sell-out a concert, sports event etc which so many people want to see that all the tickets are sold:
The concert was a sell-out.
the band’s sell-out tour of the US
cult movie/band/figure etc a film, band, person etc that has become very popular and fashionable with a particular group of people:
a cult TV programme
craze something that suddenly becomes popular, so that a lot of people do it, buy it etc:
the latest dance craze that has been sweeping the US
the craze for ultra expensive designer jeans
fad informal something that is very popular for a short time – used about something that you disapprove of, which you do not think will last for very long:
Most diets are just fads.
I think it’s a passing fad.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hit to hit someone quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etc:
He hit him hard in the stomach.
I don’t like to see people hitting a dog.
beat to hit someone deliberately many times, especially very hard:
The girl had been beaten to death.
He was beating the donkey with a stick.
strike written to hit someone with your hand or a weapon. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written English:
Her husband struck her twice across the face.
Police say that the man had been struck on the head.
punch to hit someone hard with your closed hand, especially in a fight:
I punched him on the nose.
She was screaming and punching him with her fists.
thump /θʌmp/ informal to punch someone very hard:
Sometimes I just want to thump him.
beat somebody up to hurt someone badly in a violent attack, by hitting them many times:
If I tell the police, they'll beat me up.
He had been beaten up and tortured with lighted cigarettes.
slap to hit someone with your open hand, especially because you are angry with them:
They had a big row and she ended up slapping him.
spank (also smack especially British English) to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them:
Should a parent ever smack a child?
I don’t agree with smacking.
In those days, children were spanked if they behaved badly.
throw a punch (=try to hit someone)
Rob was so angry that he turned round and threw a punch at the man.
land a punch (=manage to hit someone)
Then I began to land some good punches.
give somebody a punch
He gave me a punch on the nose.
deliver a punch formal (=hit someone)
Who actually delivered the punch that killed the man?
take a punch (=be hit, or deal well with being hit)
I took a lot of punches but I gave a lot too.
a hard/powerful punch
My stomach took a couple of hard punches.
a good punch
Tyson landed one good punch but it wasn’t enough.
a knockout punch (=a blow that knocks someone down so that they cannot get up again)
In the fourth round, Lewis produced a knockout punch that ended the fight.
make a hole in something to cause a hole to appear in something:
Make a hole in the bottom of the can using a hammer and nail.
pierce to make a small hole in or through something, using a pointed object:
The dog's teeth had pierced her skin.
Shelley wanted to have her ears pierced (=for earrings).
prick to make a very small hole in the surface of something, using a pointed object:
Prick the potatoes before baking them.
My finger was bleeding where the needle had pricked it.
puncture to make a small hole in something, especially something where skin or a wall surrounds a softer or hollow inside part:
The bullet had punctured his lung.
perforate formal to make a hole or holes in something:
Fragments of the bullet had perforated his intestines.
drill to make a hole using a special tool, often one which turns round and round very quickly:
The dentist started drilling a hole in my tooth.
They won a contract to drill for oil in the area.
bore to make a deep round hole through a rock, into the ground etc:
They had to bore through solid rock.
The men were boring a hole for the tunnel.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
fuse to combine different styles in order to form a new style:
The band fuses African rhythms with traditional Celtic music.
jumble to mix things together in an untidy way, so that they are not in any order:
The jigsaw pieces were all jumbled together in the box.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

beat
bi:t
See: heart skip a beat , off the beaten track

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲