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Definition of "backbeat" [backbeat]

  • A sharp rhythmic accent on the second and fourth beats of a measure in 4/4 time, characteristic of rock music. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "backbeat" in a sentence
  • "I mean, my whole life has been, you know, the backbeat has been, the backbeat has been the Beatles."
  • "One thing I have learned - and this is going to sound silly - is that music is music, and whether it's rap or indie-rock or pop, the circuitry that makes you react to a melody or a backbeat is the same."
  • "Tony Allen (best known as the backbeat of legend Fela's band) want us to download the 15 constituent parts of the single "Secret Agent," the title track off his new album on World Circuit label."