Beat of drum

Beat of drum
Beat Beat, n. 1. A stroke; a blow. [1913 Webster]

He, with a careless beat, Struck out the mute creation at a heat. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

2. A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse. [1913 Webster]

3. (Mus.) (a) The rise or fall of the hand or foot, marking the divisions of time; a division of the measure so marked. In the rhythm of music the beat is the unit. (b) A transient grace note, struck immediately before the one it is intended to ornament. [1913 Webster]

4. (Acoustics & Mus.) A sudden swelling or re["e]nforcement of a sound, recurring at regular intervals, and produced by the interference of sound waves of slightly different periods of vibrations; applied also, by analogy, to other kinds of wave motions; the pulsation or throbbing produced by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison. See {Beat}, v. i., 8. [1913 Webster]

5. A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman's beat; analogously, for newspaper reporters, the subject or territory that they are assigned to cover; as, the Washington beat. [1913 Webster +PJC]

6. A place of habitual or frequent resort. [1913 Webster]

7. A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; -- often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat; also, {deadbeat}. [Low] [1913 Webster]

{Beat of drum} (Mil.), a succession of strokes varied, in different ways, for particular purposes, as to regulate a march, to call soldiers to their arms or quarters, to direct an attack, or retreat, etc.

{Beat of a watch}, or {Beat of a clock}, the stroke or sound made by the action of the escapement. A clock is in beat or out of beat, according as the stroke is at equal or unequal intervals. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • beat the drum — phrasal also beat a drum : to declaim as meritorious or especially significant : publicize or argue noisily publicity men beating the drum about the new star beat the drum for him as a candidate * * * bang/beat/the drum …   Useful english dictionary

  • beat the drum — to attract attention. The president said he will beat the drum to build public support for his education program. Usage notes: sometimes followed by for: Who is beating the drum for the parents rights act? …   New idioms dictionary

  • beat a drum — phrasal see beat the drum …   Useful english dictionary

  • beat the drum for — I see drum I II beat (or bang) the drum for (or against) be ostentatiously in support of (or in opposition to) he limited campaign contributions in order to beat the drum against political action committees | feminists bang the drum for ‘quality… …   Useful english dictionary

  • beat the drum — Synonyms and related words: advertise, ballyhoo, bark, beat, beat a tattoo, beat the drums, beat time, bill, blow the trumpet, boost, build up, bulletin, call to arms, call up, campaign for, celebrate, circularize, commemorate, conscript, count,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • beat the drum — to speak eagerly about something that you support. Once again she was banging the drum for pre school nurseries. (often + for) The opposition parties are always beating the environmental drum …   New idioms dictionary

  • beat the drum — {v. phr.} To attract attention in order to advertise something or to promote someone, such as a political candidate. * /Mrs. Smith has been beating the drum in her town in order to get her husband elected mayor./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • beat the drum — {v. phr.} To attract attention in order to advertise something or to promote someone, such as a political candidate. * /Mrs. Smith has been beating the drum in her town in order to get her husband elected mayor./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • beat\ the\ drum — v. phr. To attract attention in order to advertise something or to promote someone, such as a political candidate. Mrs. Smith has been beating the drum in her town in order to get her husband elected mayor …   Словарь американских идиом

  • beat the drum (for somebody) — beat/bang the ˈdrum (for sb/sth) idiom (especially BrE) to speak with enthusiasm in support of sb/sth • She s really banging the drum for the new system. Main entry: ↑drumidiom …   Useful english dictionary

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