beat one's breast

verb

To ostentatiously display remorse, sorrow, or upset.

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beat one's chest
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Meanings

verbbeat one's breast (third-person singular simple present beats one's breast, present participle beating one's breast, simple past beat one's breast, past participle beaten one's breast or (colloquial) beat one's breast)

present singular third person beats one's breast · participle present beating one's breast · participle past beaten one's breast

  1. figurativelyTo ostentatiously display remorse, sorrow, or upset.

    Synonyms: beat one's chest

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo ostentatiously display remorse, sorrow, or upset.

Similar
beat one's chest
Also see
beat one's chest

Origin

For the meaning development compare Proto-Slavic *plakati ultimately from *pleh₂k-, *pleh₂g- (“to beat”) (whence also Latin plangō (whence plangent, plain)).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan colpir-se el pit
  • colpir-se el pitTranslations
Finnish lyödä rintaansa
  • lyödä rintaansaTranslations
French battre sa coulpe
  • battre sa coulpeTranslations
Polish bić się w piersi
  • bić się w piersiTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

beat one's breast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20one's%20breast

MLA

“beat one's breast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20one's%20breast. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beat one's breast,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20one's%20breast.

Source: beat one's breast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.