What’s the past tense of “beat”?
Beat, which sounds like beet, the root vegetable, but refers is a that can mean to strike something repeatedly, to defeat someone or something, or to mix ingredients vigorously (“beat the eggs”).
Being an irregular verb, the simple past tense is also beat. Beated is incorrect in all cases.
You might see or hear “beated” in error, but in standard English, stick to beat as the simple past. The past participle form is beaten.
Usage Note: Past Tense of ‘Beat’
She beat the champion in the final round.
The eggs have been beaten until fluffy.
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. 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 |
Quotes from literature and the media
[Noun] Blaine..was supposed to play the snare drum on the second beat as well as the fourth, but he dropped his drum stick!
Pardon me while I beat my head on the floor.
Then I beat the tiger rug, imagining that the dust particles that poofed out had magical powers.
Rain beat the window ferociously and the wind sounded stronger than ever.
I'm out here on my feet beating the streets. Fist-bumping people. Listening to their needs and concerns.
Many thousands of English or German schoolboys, having Latin beaten into them as the main part of their education, must of course have dimly realized that there was some kind of connection.
He has been robbed eight times in the last two years, beaten, stabbed, and hospitalized.
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, Sep 27, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/beat-or-beated/.
