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beaten

/ˈbitn/
/ˈbitɪn/
IPA guide

Something that's beaten has been made smooth or thin from repeated impact, like the beaten surface of a silver bracelet, or the beaten path that leads to your hideout in the woods.

To make something beaten, you have to beat it — strike or hammer it repeatedly. Food can also be beaten, like the beaten egg whites you put in a cake to make it light and fluffy. In this case, they're stirred with vigor. And when a person is beaten, they're despondent or defeated: "The beaten expression on his face showed how exhausting the last tennis match had been." Beaten comes from beat and its root meaning "to strike."

Definitions of beaten
  1. adjective
    formed or made thin by hammering
    beaten gold”
  2. adjective
    much trodden and worn smooth or bare
    “did not stray from the beaten path”
    synonyms:
    familiar
    well known or easily recognized
Pronunciation
US
/ˈbitn/
UK
/ˈbitɪn/
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