Beat

Beat, in music and poetry, is the main accent or a rhythmic unit. It is the strong rhythm in popular music, or any sound and movement that is regular and rhythmic. The sound produced by a musical instrument when struck is also called a beat, such as drumbeat. However, the heartbeat is the pulsation of the heart. A brief pause or moment of hesitation is also a beat, such as a beat of a second. Such a pause is also used in stage direction, and called a beat of specified time.

When two similar but nonidentical frequencies of sounds, electrical signals, or other vibrations are combined, the periodic variation in the sound or amplitude observed is called a beat.

A beat is also a territorial charge, primarily protective in scope. It may be a sub-division of a range usually the charge of a forest guard or forester. The area assigned to a police officer to patrol and to making it safe is a beat, and also the spell of duty allocated. There are also beat constables in police who are given charge of a particular area of a police station.

A beat of a journalist is the area assigned to be covered and reported to. A beat is also a person's area of interest. An area regularly frequented by someone, typically a prostitute, is also called a beat.

Beat is also the movement of a bird's wings. A Beatnik, a young person belonging to beat generation, is also informally called a beat in short. Someone or something of or relating to the beat generation or its philosophy is also referred to as beat, such a beat poet or a beat poetry.

In informal English, beat is used predicatively for a completely exhausted one, such as 'she is a dead beat'.