What’s the past tense of “beat”?
Beat is a versatile verb in English. It can mean to strike repeatedly, to defeat someone, or even to mix ingredients vigorously (“beat the eggs”). It’s a word you’ll hear in sports, music, cooking, and daily conversation.
But when it comes to the past tense, many English learners wonder: is it beat or beated? The answer is simple—beat is an irregular verb, and its past tense is also beat. Beated is never correct.
You might see or hear “beated” in error, but in standard English, always use beat as the simple past and past participle form.
Past simple: She beat the champion in the final round.
Past perfect continuous: The eggs have been beaten until fluffy.
Incorrect: He beated the game.
Forms of the verb “beat”
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| simple | I beat | I beat | I will beat |
| continuous | I am beating | I was beating | I will be beating |
| perfect | I have beaten | I had beaten | I will have beaten |
| perfect continuous | I have been beating | I had been beating | I will have been beating |
Is “beat” a regular or irregular verb?
The verb beat is irregular. The past tense and past participle forms are not made by adding -ed. For “beat,” the simple past is the same as the base form: beat. The past participle form is beaten.
| Base Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| beat | beat | beaten |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| see | saw | seen |
| write | wrote | written |
| bite | bit | bitten |
Practice: “Beat” verb conjugations
Yesterday, they ______ the world record.
The eggs are ______ until fluffy.
She ______ the drums every morning.
He has ______ the defending champion.
I will ______ my personal best next time.
FAQs
What is the past tense of “beat”?
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What is the past participle of “beat”?
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Is “beated” ever correct?
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Is “beat” a regular or irregular verb?
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When do you use “beaten”?
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Yash, D. "How to Use Beat or *Beated (Irregular Verb Conjugations)." Grammarflex, Aug 8, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/beat-or-beated/.
