Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that beats, especially a device for beating.
  • noun A person who drives wild game from under cover for a hunter.
  • noun Offensive Slang A tight-fitting, white sleeveless undershirt.
  • noun Informal An old, dilapidated automobile.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who beats: as, a carpet-beater; a drum-beater.
  • noun In hunting, one who rouses or beats up game.
  • noun That which beats or is used in beating.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who, or that which, beats.
  • noun A person who beats up game for the hunters.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, informal A sleeveless undershirt.
  • noun Someone or something that beats.
  • noun A kitchen implement for mixing.
  • noun A stick used to play a percussion instrument.
  • noun A man who drives game towards shooters in a hunting party, often working in a group.
  • noun A papermaking machine for processing fibres by fibrillation in order to improve bonding strength
  • noun US, informal An automobile in poor operating condition.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an implement for beating
  • noun a worker who rouses wild game from under cover for a hunter

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Sense 3, short for wifebeater.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

By shortening from wife beater.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

beat +‎ -er

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Examples

  • My beater is a Win. 67, given to me by a brother-in-law in 1952, no frills or foofaraw, or scope, just a very dependable single shot .22 that I have killed hundreds of squirrels and rabbits with, and wouldn't trade it for a boat load of tricked-out 10/22s.

    Trigger Happy 2009

  • A wife-beater is an undershirt with no arms, stereotypically worn without a covering shirt by the kind of guys who feature prominently on the TV show “Cops”.

    AN UNDEAD DAY AT THE SPA • by Stephanie Scarborough 2010

  • Beat constantly with electric beater while it cooks for 7 minutes or until it will stand in peaks when beater is raised.

    S'MORE BROWNIES Melissa 2009

  • My beater is a Win. 67, given to me by a brother-in-law in 1952, no frills or foofaraw, or scope, just a very dependable single shot .22 that I have killed hundreds of squirrels and rabbits with, and wouldn't trade it for a boat load of tricked-out 10/22s.

    Trigger Happy 2009

  • Beat constantly with electric beater while it cooks for 7 minutes or until it will stand in peaks when beater is raised.

    Archive 2009-04-01 Melissa 2009

  • The batter should be light and fall in a ribbon when the beater is lifted.

    Covered Cheesecake « Baking History 2008

  • The batter should be light and fall in a ribbon when the beater is lifted.

    2008 June « Baking History 2008

  • Martin's biggest bucket was a buzzer beater from the left corner that made it 115-110 with 1: 11 remaining, and Baron Davis, who led the Warriors with 28 points, misfired twice on 3-pointers in the final minute.

    USATODAY.com 2007

  • Ford hit a buzzer-beater from the foul line, reserve guard Fred Jones scored a season-high 23 points and the injury-riddled Raptors held off a determined Elton Brand down the stretch to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 98-96 Wednesday night.

    USATODAY.com - Basketball - Toronto vs. L.A. Clippers 2006

  • Yours truly avec mustache (I think the "wife beater" is a nice touch too).

    We Will Rebuild (or The Return of the Mustache Joke) Slimbolala 2005

Comments

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  • In the eighteenth century, an assistant in a printer's shop who prepares the type with ink before beginning the printing process.

    August 26, 2008

  • Beater, a portmanteau of beta tester and cheater.

    March 17, 2023