Beat to Meaning in English
expression
ˈbit/ /ˈtu/, /tə/, /tɪ
BEET-too, BEET-tuh, BEET-tih
bˈiːt/ /tˈuː
BEET-too
Definition
To do or reach something before someone else does, often used when you achieve something first or win a race to complete a task.
Usage & Nuances
Informal; often used with 'someone' or a person's name: 'beat John to the punch', 'beat you to it'. Usually used for actions, not competitions. Common phrase: 'beat someone to it'.
Spanish: adelantarse a - ganarle a (en hacer algo)Portuguese (BR): se adiantar a - vencer (em fazer algo)Portuguese (PT): antecipar-se a - ganhar a (em fazer algo)Chinese (Simplified): 抢先于 - 在…之前做到Chinese (Traditional): 搶先於 - 在…之前做到Hindi: से पहले कर लेना - किसी से आगे निकलना (किसी काम में)Arabic: يسبق إلى - يفعل شيئًا قبل (شخص آخر)Bengali: আগে করা - কারো আগেই কিছু করাRussian: опередить в - сделать раньше кого-тоJapanese: ～より先にする - 先を越すVietnamese: làm trước - làm gì đó nhanh hơn ai đóKorean: ~보다 먼저 하다 - ~보다 앞서다Turkish: -den önce yapmak - önce davranmakUrdu: سے جلدی کر لینا - کسی کام میں بازی لے جاناIndonesian: mendahului - melakukan lebih cepat dari
Example Sentences
I beat my friend to the bus stop.
basic
She wanted to answer, but I beat her to it.
basic
You have to be quick if you want to beat me to the last cookie.
basic
My colleague beat me to submitting the report, so he got the credit.
natural
Sorry, I was going to email you but you beat me to it!
natural
They tried to surprise me for my birthday, but I beat them to it and planned my own party.
natural