pressing importance requiring speedy action; "the urgency of his need"
an urgent situation calling for prompt action; "I'll be there, barring any urgencies"; "they departed hurriedly because of some great urgency in their affairs"
the state of being urgent; an earnest and insistent necessity
become more intense; "The debate intensified"; "His dislike for raw fish only deepened in Japan"
make more intense, stronger, or more marked; "The efforts were intensified", "Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her"; "Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness"; "This event only deepened my convictions"
make the chemically affected part of (a negative) denser or more opaque in order produce a stronger contrast between light and dark
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one; "finds himself in a most awkward predicament"; "the woeful plight of homeless people"
the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart"
edible seeds of various pod-bearing plants (peas or beans or lentils etc.)
the rate at which the heart beats; usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of a person's health
produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of short bursts or pulses or cause an apparatus to produce pulses; "pulse waves"; "a transmitter pulsed by an electronic tube"
drive by or as if by pulsation; "A soft breeze pulsed the air"
(mathematics) the sum of a finite or infinite sequence of expressions
a periodical that appears at scheduled times
(sports) several contests played successively by the same teams; "the visiting team swept the series"
similar things placed in order or happening one after another; "they were investigating a series of bank robberies"
a group of postage stamps having a common theme or a group of coins or currency selected as a group for study or collection; "the Post Office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers"; "his coin collection included the complete series of Indian-head pennies"
(electronics) connection of components in such a manner that current flows first through one and then through the other; "the voltage divider consisted of a series of fixed resistors"
status established in order of importance or urgency; "...its precedence as the world's leading manufacturer of pharmaceuticals"; "national independence takes priority over class struggle"
a casualty to military personnel resulting from combat
a figurative injury (to your feelings or pride); "he feared that mentioning it might reopen the wound"; "deep in her breast lives the silent wound"; "The right reader of a good poem can tell the moment it strikes him that he has taken an immortal wound--that he will never get over it"--Robert Frost
any break in the skin or an organ caused by violence or surgical incision
the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
a stroke or blow; "the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"
a regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the beat"
the sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the beat of a drum"
a regular route for a sentry or policeman; "in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"
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
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"
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"
hit repeatedly; "beat on the door"; "beat the table with his shoe"
strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
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"
stir vigorously; "beat the egg whites"; "beat the cream"
shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares"
produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum"
make by pounding or trampling; "beat a path through the forest"
move rhythmically; "Her heart was beating fast"
indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm"
sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat beat in the strong wind"
move with a flapping motion; "The bird's wings were flapping"
move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was beating down on us"
avoid paying; "beat the subway fare"
be superior; "Reading beats watching television"; "This sure beats work!"