beaten

beaten — adjective

1. having lost a game, race, election, or other contest

1.形容詞B2
釋義

having lost a game, race, election, or other contest

例句

After the final whistle, the beaten players sat quietly by the bus.

before noun: beaten players

Riverdale looked beaten once East High scored a third goal.

linking verb: looked beaten

同義詞
  • defeated

    is the closest general synonym and sounds slightly more formal

  • losing

    can describe a side during the contest, before the result is final

  • outplayed

    suggests the other side performed better, especially in sport

反義詞
  • victorious

    is a formal word for having won

  • winning

    can describe the side that is ahead or has won

  • unbeaten

    means not defeated in any game or match yet

文法句型

a beaten team

a beaten candidate

look beaten

finish beaten

用法筆記

Common for people, teams, or sides after a clear result in sport, elections, or other contests. Distinguish from the passive verb in sentences like 'They were beaten by Spain', where the focus is the action rather than this describing adjective.

常見錯誤

❌Our team was beaten the match.
✅Our team was beaten in the match.' / 'Our team was beaten.
💡as an adjective, beaten does not take the game directly as an object.
❌I felt beaten after carrying the sofa upstairs.
✅I felt exhausted after carrying the sofa upstairs.
💡this sense is about losing a contest, not simply being tired.

2. hammered until it spreads into a thinner, flatter shape, especially of metal

2.形容詞C1
釋義

hammered until it spreads into a thinner, flatter shape, especially of metal

例句

The museum showed beaten gold from a king's mask.

collocation: beaten gold

A beaten copper bowl hung above Rosa's kitchen table.

before noun with metal nouns

同義詞
  • hammered

    is the nearest everyday word and stresses the hitting process

  • flattened

    focuses on the resulting shape more than the method

  • worked

    is broader and often used in art or metalcraft contexts

文法句型

beaten gold

beaten silver

beaten brass

beaten metal

用法筆記

Usually comes before nouns for metals such as gold, silver, copper, or brass. Distinguish from adjective/3, where repeated walking makes a path clear, not hammering.

常見錯誤

❌The carpenter used beaten wood for the frame.
✅The goldsmith used beaten gold for the necklace.
💡this sense is mainly used for metal shaped by hammering.
❌Tourists followed the beaten gold into the forest.
✅Tourists followed the beaten path into the forest.
💡beaten gold is metal; a route worn by feet is adjective/3.

3. worn clear by many feet passing the same way again and again

3.形容詞C1
釋義

worn clear by many feet passing the same way again and again

例句

A beaten path led from the farm gate to the river.

collocation: beaten path

Tourists left the beaten track and climbed toward the quiet lake.

phrase: leave the beaten track

同義詞
  • worn

    is a broad word for a surface changed by long use

  • trodden

    is more literary and also stresses repeated walking

  • well-used

    is less fixed and can describe paths or tracks in everyday English

反義詞
  • overgrown

    suggests plants now cover the route

  • untrodden

    is literary and means not walked on

  • rough

    suggests the route is still uneven or unclear

文法句型

beaten path

beaten track

leave the beaten track

off the beaten track

用法筆記

Most often used with path and track, especially in the phrase off the beaten track. Distinguish from adjective/2, which describes metal made flat by hammering.

常見錯誤

❌We followed a beaten metal through the forest.
✅We followed a beaten path through the forest.
💡this sense describes a route worn by many feet.
❌The artist bought a beaten track for the statue.
✅The artist bought beaten copper for the statue.
💡for hammered metal, use adjective/2 instead.