Past Tense of Beat | Meaning, Definition & Examples
Beat is an irregular verb, so its past participle and simple past forms are different from each other.
- Beat is the simple past form of “beat.” It’s exactly the same as the simple present tense form. The simple past is used when describing an event or action that took place in the past.
- Beaten is the past participle of the verb. Past participles are used to make the passive voice and perfect tenses.
| Examples: Beat in a sentence | Examples: Beaten in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Emily beat her sister at tennis. | The school team has beaten every team they have played. |
| I know you beat me last time, but this time is different! | I’ve never been beaten by a challenge before! |
How to use beat
You use the simple past form beat to describe an action or event in the past.
I beat the other bids to win the auction.
Sam left early and beat the rush hour.
How to use beaten
The past participle of “beat” is beaten. It is used to form the passive voice (i.e., where the subject of the sentence isn’t performing the action, but rather the action is being performed upon it) and perfect tenses (i.e., where the action described was completed earlier than another action).
Our school has beaten every other school in the district in track and field.
I have never beaten the dealer playing blackjack.
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of beat
- What is the past participle of beat?
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The past participle of the verb beat is beaten. The past participle is used to form the passive voice (e.g., “The record was beaten twice in the same championship”) and perfect tenses (e.g., “Michael has beaten everyone who has challenged him”).
It is a common mistake, and always wrong, to use “beat” in these contexts. “Beat” is the simple past form.
“Beat” can sometimes be used as the past participle where the meaning is “exhausted” (e.g., “After a month of exams, Alex was beat”).
You can easily check your own writing for mistakes using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
- What is the simple past form of beat?
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The simple past form of the verb beat is also beat. It is used for an event or action that occurred in the past (e.g., “Steve beat the gong enthusiastically”).
You can easily check your own writing for mistakes using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
- Is it beat or beaten?
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The past participle of the verb beat is beaten, and the simple past is beat. The correct form of the verb will depend on the meaning you want.
In the simple past, beat is the correct form (e.g., “Ainaz beat everybody else in the competition to claim her third gold medal”).
Use the past participle beaten to form perfect tenses and the passive voice (e.g., “She had beaten all the odds to become the leading lawyer at the firm”).
It’s easy to check your grammar and spelling using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
