beater

[ bee-ter ]

noun

1. a person or thing that beats.
2. an implement or device for beating something (usually used in combination):

   the two beaters on an electric mixer;

   an old-fashioned rug beater that loosens dirt with every forceful whack.

3. Slang: Offensive. wifebeater ( def 2 ).
4. Informal. an old vehicle that is in poor condition:

   I drive a beater that I bought for $2,000.

5. Hunting. a person who rouses or drives game from cover:

   The beater flushed a covey of grouse.

6. Papermaking. a machine for beating half-stuff to pulp by separating and shortening the fibers to produce a gelatinous mass.
7. Textiles. reed ( def 6 ).
8. Newfoundland. a young seal, usually a month to six weeks old, having completely or almost completely shed its initial white fur.

beater

/ ˈbiːtə /

noun

1. a person who beats or hammers

   a panel beater

2. an instrument or device used for beating

   a carpet beater

3. a person who rouses wild game from woodland, undergrowth, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of beater¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English beter, better; beat, -er ¹; the seals in beater def 8 are so named for their beating of the water with their flippers as they learn to swim

Example Sentences

“We went to Yakima, she bought an old beater, fixed it up, and rented some rooms in there,” he said.

From Seattle Times

I didn’t have the cash on hand, and I couldn’t trust putting my family in an old beater.

From Slate

But open the hood of the story and it turns out this beater is a lemon: The mechanics of the plot simply aren’t there.

From Seattle Times

But open the hood of the story and it turns out this beater is a lemon: The mechanics of the plot simply aren’t there.

From Los Angeles Times

Then during the House's floor debate over his expulsion late Thursday, Santos called out a Republican colleague as "a woman beater," pointing to past allegations of alleged abuse, to complain of GOP hypocrisy.

From Salon