Beat vs. Lash — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 2, 2024
Beat involves striking repeatedly, often to produce sound or rhythm, while lash involves whipping or striking sharply, typically with a thin implement.
Difference Between Beat and Lash
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Beat typically refers to hitting something repeatedly in a rhythmic manner, often used in the context of music or cooking, as in beating a drum or eggs. Lash, on the other hand, is used to describe a swift, sharp strike, usually with a flexible object like a whip or cord.
In terms of intensity, beating can range from gentle taps to vigorous strikes depending on the context, such as gently beating eggs versus beating a carpet to remove dust. Lash implies a more aggressive and swift action, suggesting a forceful, punishing motion, often intended to cause pain.
Beat can also describe the rhythmic pulsation of sound or the heart, creating a continuous sensation or sound, as in the beat of a drum or a heart. Lash does not have a rhythmic connotation and typically describes a single, swift action, like a lash of lightning or the lash of a tail.
When it comes to usage in language, "beat" can be used both literally and metaphorically, as in beating a record or beating the odds. Whereas "lash" is often used more literally, though it can appear in phrases like lashing out in anger, where it metaphorically describes a sharp verbal attack.
Beat is often seen in a broader array of contexts including music, culinary arts, and general descriptions of repeated actions. Lash, however, is more narrowly focused, often associated with physical punishment or the fast, sudden actions of striking or whipping.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Definition
To strike repeatedly; to make a rhythm.
To strike with a swift, sharp motion.
Connotation
Rhythmic, persistent.
Quick, sharp, often punitive.
Common Usage
Music, cooking, competitions.
Punishment, rapid movements.
Intensity
Can vary from gentle to strong.
Generally implies strong force.
Metaphoric Use
Beating the odds, heartbeats.
Lashing out, sharp retort.
Compare with Definitions
Beat
To defeat someone in a game.
He beat his opponent 6-0 in the match.
Lash
To move quickly and violently.
The wind lashed against the windows.
Beat
To bypass or outdo.
She managed to beat the traffic by leaving early.
Lash
To tie securely.
Lash the cargo to the deck to prevent it from moving.
Beat
To stir vigorously.
Beat the eggs until they are fluffy.
Lash
To burst out suddenly.
He lashed out in anger during the argument.
Beat
To pulsate rhythmically.
The drum beat inspired the dancers.
Lash
To strike with a whip or similar.
The trainer lashed the horse to make it run faster.
Beat
To strike repeatedly.
Lash
To criticize sharply.
The review lashed the film for its poor plot.
Beat
To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse; batter.
Lash
Strike or beat with a whip or stick
They lashed him repeatedly about the head
Beat
To punish by hitting or whipping; flog.
Lash
(of an animal) move (a part of the body, especially the tail) quickly and violently
The cat was lashing its tail back and forth
Beat
To strike against repeatedly and with force; pound
Waves beating the shore.
Lash
Fasten (something) securely with a cord or rope
The hatch was securely lashed down
He lashed the flag to the mast
Beat
To flap (wings, for example).
Lash
A sharp blow or stroke with a whip or rope
She felt the lash of my tongue
He was sentenced to fifty lashes for his crime
Beat
To strike so as to produce music or a signal
Beat a drum.
Lash
An eyelash
She fluttered her long dark lashes
Beat
(Music) To mark or count (time or rhythm), especially with the hands or with a baton.
Lash
A stroke or blow with or as if with a whip.
Beat
To shape or break by repeated blows; forge
Beat the glowing metal into a dagger.
Lash
A whip.
Beat
To make by pounding or trampling
Beat a path through the jungle.
Lash
The flexible portion of a whip, such as a plait or thong.
Beat
To mix rapidly with a utensil
Beat two eggs in a bowl.
Lash
Punishment administered with a whip.
Beat
To defeat or subdue, as in a contest.
Lash
A lacerating presence or power
The lash of conscience.
Beat
To force to withdraw or retreat
Beat back the enemy.
Lash
A caustic verbal attack.
Beat
To dislodge from a position
I beat him down to a lower price.
Lash
An eyelash.
Beat
(Informal) To be superior to or better than
Riding beats walking.
Lash
To strike with or as if with a whip.
Beat
(Slang) To perplex or baffle
It beats me.
I don't know the answer.
Lash
To strike against with force or violence
Sleet lashing the roof.
Beat
To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent
Beat the traffic.
Lash
To beat or swing rapidly
The alligator lashed its tail in the water.
Beat
To arrive or finish before (another)
We beat you home by five minutes.
Lash
To make a scathing oral or written attack against.
Beat
To deprive, as by craft or ability
He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
Lash
To drive or goad; sting
Words that lashed them into action.
Beat
(Physics) To cause a reference wave to combine with (a second wave) so that the frequency of the second wave can be studied through time variations in the amplitude of the combination.
Lash
To move swiftly or violently; thrash
Heard the snake lashing about in the leaves.
Beat
To inflict repeated blows.
Lash
To aim a sudden blow; strike
The mule lashed out with its hind legs.
Beat
To pulsate; throb.
Lash
To beat; flail
Waves lashing at the shore.
Beat
To emit sound when struck
The gong beat thunderously.
Lash
To make a scathing verbal or written attack. Often used with out
Lashed out at her critics during the interview.
Beat
To strike a drum.
Lash
To secure or bind, as with a rope, cord, or chain.
Beat
To flap repeatedly.
Lash
The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
Beat
To shine or glare intensely
The sun beat down on us all day.
Lash
(obsolete) A leash in which an animal is caught or held; hence, a snare.
Beat
To fall in torrents
The rain beat on the roof.
Lash
A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough, often given as a punishment.
The culprit received thirty-nine lashes.
Beat
To hunt through woods or underbrush in search of game.
Lash
A quick and violent sweeping movement, as of an animal's tail; a swish.
Beat
(Nautical) To sail upwind by tacking repeatedly.
Lash
A stroke of satire or sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain; a cut.
Beat
A stroke or blow, especially one that produces a sound or serves as a signal.
Lash
A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.
Beat
A pulsation or throb.
Lash
In carpet weaving, a group of strings for lifting simultaneously certain yarns, to form the figure.
Beat
(Physics) A variation in the amplitude of a wave, especially that which results from the superpositioning of two or more waves of different frequencies. When sound waves are combined, the beat is heard as a pulsation in the sound.
Lash
An attempt; a go at something.
I'll have a lash.
Beat
A steady succession of units of rhythm.
Lash
Looseness between fitted parts, either intentional (as allowance) or unintentional (from error or wear).
Setting the proper valve lash for solid lifters
Excessive lash in the gear train
Beat
A gesture used by a conductor to indicate such a unit.
Lash
(transitive) To strike with a lash; to whip or scourge with a lash, or with something like one.
Beat
A pattern of stress that produces the rhythm of verse.
Lash
(transitive) To strike forcibly and quickly, as with a lash; to beat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash.
Beat
A variable unit of time measuring a pause taken by an actor, as for dramatic effect.
Lash
(transitive) To throw out with a jerk or quickly.
Beat
The area regularly covered by a reporter, a police officer, or a sentry
Television's culture beat.
Lash
(transitive) To scold; or to satirize; to censure with severity.
Beat
The reporting of a news item obtained ahead of one's competitors.
Lash
(intransitive) To ply the whip; to strike.
Beat
Often Beat A member of the Beat Generation.
Lash
(intransitive) To utter censure or sarcastic language.
Beat
(Informal) Worn-out; fatigued.
Lash
To fall heavily, especially in the phrase lash down.
Beat
Often Beat Of or relating to the Beat Generation.
Lash
(transitive) To bind with a rope, cord, thong, or chain, so as to fasten.
To lash something to a spar
Lash a pack on a horse's back
Beat
A stroke; a blow.
Lash
(obsolete) Remiss, lax.
Beat
A pulsation or throb.
A beat of the heart
The beat of the pulse
Lash
(obsolete) Relaxed.
Beat
(music) A pulse on the beat level, the metric level at which pulses are heard as the basic unit. Thus a beat is the basic time unit of a piece.
Lash
Soft, watery, wet.
Beat
A rhythm.
I love watching her dance to a pretty drum beat with a bouncy rhythm!
Lash
(Ulster) Excellent, wonderful.
We’re off school tomorrow, it’s gonna be lash!
That Chinese (food) was lash!
Beat
(music) The rhythm signalled by a conductor or other musician to the members of a group of musicians.
Lash
(Britain) Drunk.
Beat
The instrumental portion of a piece of hip-hop music.
Lash
The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
I observed that your whip wanted a lash to it.
Beat
The interference between two tones of almost equal frequency
Lash
A leash in which an animal is caught or held; hence, a snare.
Beat
(authorship) A short pause in a play, screenplay, or teleplay, for dramatic or comedic effect.
Lash
A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough; as, the culprit received thirty-nine lashes.
Beat
(by extension) An area of a person's responsibility, especially
Lash
A stroke of satire or sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain; a cut.
The moral is a lash at the vanity of arrogating that to ourselves which succeeds well.
Beat
The route patrolled by a police officer or a guard.
To walk the beat
Lash
A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.
Beat
(journalism) The primary focus of a reporter's stories (such as police/courts, education, city government, business etc.).
Lash
In carpet weaving, a group of strings for lifting simultaneously certain yarns, to form the figure.
Beat
(dated) An act of reporting news or scientific results before a rival; a scoop.
Lash
To strike with a lash; to whip or scourge with a lash, or with something like one.
We lash the pupil, and defraud the ward.
Beat
That which beats, or surpasses, another or others.
The beat of him
Lash
To strike forcibly and quickly, as with a lash; to beat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash; as, a whale lashes the sea with his tail.
And big waves lash the frighted shores.
Beat
A precinct.
Lash
To throw out with a jerk or quickly.
He falls, and lashing up his heels, his rider throws.
Beat
(dated) A place of habitual or frequent resort.
Lash
To scold; to berate; to satirize; to censure with severity; as, to lash vice.
Beat
(AU) An area frequented by gay men in search of sexual activity. See gay beat.
Lash
To ply the whip; to strike; to utter censure or sarcastic language.
To laugh at follies, or to lash at vice.
Beat
(archaic) A low cheat or swindler.
A dead beat
Lash
To bind with a rope, cord, thong, or chain, so as to fasten; as, to lash something to a spar; to lash a pack on a horse's back.
Beat
(hunting) The act of scouring, or ranging over, a tract of land to rouse or drive out game; also, those so engaged, collectively.
Lash
Any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids
Beat
(fencing) A smart tap on the adversary's blade.
Lash
Leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip
Beat
(slang) A makeup look; compare beat one's face.
Lash
A quick blow with a whip
Beat
A beatnik.
Lash
Beat severely with a whip or rod;
The teacher often flogged the students
The children were severely trounced
Beat
(transitive) To hit; to strike.
As soon as she heard that her father had died, she went into a rage and beat the wall with her fists until her knuckles bled.
Lash
Lash or flick about sharply;
The lion lashed its tail
Beat
(transitive) To strike or pound repeatedly, usually in some sort of rhythm.
He danced hypnotically while she beat the atabaque.
Beat
(intransitive) To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blows; to knock vigorously or loudly.
Beat
(intransitive) To move with pulsation or throbbing.
Beat
(transitive) To win against; to defeat or overcome; to do or be better than (someone); to excel in a particular, competitive event.
Jan had little trouble beating John in tennis. He lost five games in a row.
No matter how quickly Joe finished his test, Roger always beat him.
I just can't seem to beat the last level of this video game.
Beat
To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.
Beat
(transitive) To strike (water, foliage etc.) in order to drive out game; to travel through (a forest etc.) for hunting.
Beat
To mix food in a rapid fashion. Compare whip.
Beat the eggs and whip the cream.
Beat
To persuade the seller to reduce a price.
He wanted $50 for it, but I managed to beat him down to $35.
Beat
(transitive) To indicate by beating or drumming.
To beat a retreat; to beat to quarters
Beat
To tread, as a path.
Beat
To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.
Beat
To be in agitation or doubt.
Beat
To make a sound when struck.
The drums beat.
Beat
To make a succession of strokes on a drum.
The drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.
Beat
To sound with more or less rapid alternations of greater and lesser intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; said of instruments, tones, or vibrations not perfectly in unison.
Beat
(transitive) To arrive at a place before someone.
He beat me there.
The place is empty, we beat the crowd of people who come at lunch.
Beat
To have sexual intercourse.
Bruv, she came in just as we started to beat.
Beat
To rob.
He beat me out of 12 bucks last night.
Beat
Inflection of [[:en:#Etymology_1
Beat
Inflection of [[:en:#Etymology_1
Beat
Exhausted.
After the long day, she was feeling completely beat.
Beat
Dilapidated, beat up.
Dude, you drive a beat car like that and you ain’t gonna get no honeys.
Beat
Having impressively attractive makeup.
Her face was beat for the gods!
Beat
(slang) Boring.
Beat
Ugly.
Beat
Relating to the Beat Generation.
Beat poetry
Beat
To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum.
Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small.
They did beat the gold into thin plates.
Beat
To punish by blows; to thrash.
Beat
To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game.
To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey.
Beat
To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind.
A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms.
Beat
To tread, as a path.
Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way.
Beat
To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish, defeat, or conquer; to surpass or be superior to.
He beat them in a bloody battle.
For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that.
Beat
To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; - often with out.
Beat
To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.
Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic?
Beat
To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc.
Beat
To baffle or stump; to defy the comprehension of (a person); as, it beats me why he would do that.
Beat
To evade, avoid, or escape (blame, taxes, punishment); as, to beat the rap (be acquitted); to beat the sales tax by buying out of state.
Beat
To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blows; to knock vigorously or loudly.
The men of the city . . . beat at the door.
Beat
To move with pulsation or throbbing.
A thousand hearts beat happily.
Beat
To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything, as rain, wind, and waves do.
Sees rolling tempests vainly beat below.
They [winds] beat at the crazy casement.
The sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die.
Public envy seemeth to beat chiefly upon ministers.
Beat
To be in agitation or doubt.
To still my beating mind.
Beat
To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag line or traverse.
Beat
To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat.
Beat
To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.
Beat
To sound with more or less rapid alternations of greater and less intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; - said of instruments, tones, or vibrations, not perfectly in unison.
Beat
A stroke; a blow.
He, with a careless beat,Struck out the mute creation at a heat.
Beat
A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse.
Beat
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.
Beat
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.
Beat
A place of habitual or frequent resort.
Beat
A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; - often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat; also, deadbeat.
Beat
One that beats, or surpasses, another or others; as, the beat of him.
Beat
The act of one that beats a person or thing
It's a beat on the whole country.
Beat
The act of scouring, or ranging over, a tract of land to rouse or drive out game; also, those so engaged, collectively.
Bears coming out of holes in the rocks at the last moment, when the beat is close to them.
Beat
A smart tap on the adversary's blade.
Beat
Weary; tired; fatigued; exhausted.
Quite beat, and very much vexed and disappointed.
Beat
A regular route for a sentry or policeman;
In the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name
Beat
The rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart;
He could feel the beat of her heart
Beat
The basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music;
The piece has a fast rhythm
The conductor set the beat
Beat
A single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations
Beat
A member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
Beat
The sound of stroke or blow;
He heard the beat of a drum
Beat
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
Beat
A regular rate of repetition;
The cox raised the beat
Beat
A stroke or blow;
The signal was two beats on the steam pipe
Beat
The act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
Beat
Come out better in a competition, race, or conflict;
Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship
We beat the competition
Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game
Beat
Give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression;
Thugs beat him up when he walked down the street late at night
The teacher used to beat the students
Beat
Hit repeatedly;
Beat on the door
Beat the table with his shoe
Beat
Move rhythmically;
Her heart was beating fast
Beat
Shape by beating;
Beat swords into ploughshares
Beat
Make a rhythmic sound;
Rain drummed against the windshield
The drums beat all night
Beat
Glare or strike with great intensity;
The sun was beating down on us
Beat
Move with a thrashing motion;
The bird flapped its wings
The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky
Beat
Sail with much tacking or with difficulty;
The boat beat in the strong wind
Beat
Stir vigorously;
Beat the egg whites
Beat the cream
Beat
Strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music;
Beat one's breast
Beat one's foot rhythmically
Beat
Be superior;
Reading beats watching television
This sure beats work!
Beat
Avoid paying;
Beat the subway fare
Beat
Make a sound like a clock or a timer;
The clocks were ticking
The grandfather clock beat midnight
Beat
Move with a flapping motion;
The bird's wings were flapping
Beat
Indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks;
Beat the rhythm
Beat
Move with or as if with a regular alternating motion;
The city pulsated with music and excitement
Beat
Make by pounding or trampling;
Beat a path through the forest
Beat
Produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly;
Beat the drum
Beat
Strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
Beat
Beat through cleverness and wit;
I beat the traffic
She outfoxed her competitors
Beat
Be a mystery or bewildering to;
This beats me!
Got me--I don't know the answer!
A vexing problem
This question really stuck me
Beat
Wear out completely;
This kind of work exhausts me
I'm beat
He was all washed up after the exam
Beat
Very tired;
Was all in at the end of the day
So beat I could flop down and go to sleep anywhere
Bushed after all that exercise
I'm dead after that long trip
Common Curiosities
What does "beat" typically imply in music?
In music, "beat" refers to the basic unit of time, the pulse of the rhythm.
Is "lash" ever used in a positive context?
Rarely, as it usually conveys actions or reactions that are swift and often harsh.
Can "beat" be used in a non-violent context?
Yes, "beat" can describe non-violent actions like beating eggs or beating a drum.
What are common situations where "lash" is used?
Lash is commonly used to describe actions involving whips or similar tools, and metaphorically in expressions of sudden verbal attacks.
How do the intensities of "beat" and "lash" compare?
"Beat" can vary widely, from gentle to harsh, whereas "lash" typically implies a stronger, more forceful action.
In culinary terms, what does "beat" refer to?
In cooking, "beat" refers to vigorously stirring a mixture with a fork, whisk, or mixer to incorporate air and increase volume.
Is there a specific context where "lash" is used in weather descriptions?
Yes, "lash" is often used to describe severe weather conditions impacting an area, like winds or rain lashing against a coast.
Does "beat" have a specific meaning in law enforcement or military contexts?
Yes, in law enforcement, a "beat" refers to the specific area a police officer patrols regularly.
Can "beat" be used to describe a feeling or sensation?
Yes, "beat" can describe a feeling of exhaustion or fatigue, as in feeling beaten down or beaten up.
How is "beat" used in sports?
In sports, "beat" often means to defeat someone, as in one team beating another, or surpassing a record.
What does it mean to "beat the clock"?
"Beat the clock" means to finish something within a set time limit, often just before time runs out.
What does "lash out" imply in psychological terms?
"Lash out" implies a sudden, uncontrolled expression of anger or frustration, often through physical or verbal outbursts.
Can "lash" refer to anything besides physical striking?
Yes, "lash" can also mean to speak harshly or critically, as in lashing out verbally, or to secure something tightly with a rope or cord.
What does "last lash" mean?
"Last lash" isn't a standard phrase, but it could be creatively used to describe the final strike or action in a series, emphasizing its decisive or concluding nature.
How does "beat" relate to rhythm or timing outside of music?
"Beat" can describe any regular, recurring action or event that occurs in a rhythmic pattern, such as the beat of a clock or the regular beat of waves hitting the shore.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Alcohol vs. Lacquer
Next Comparison
Snowy vs. SnowingAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
