backbeat

back-beat · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A steady beat in music emphasizing the second and fourth beats in a 4/4 measure, characteristic of rock and roll and rhythm and blues.

  2. 2.

    The accent on the weak beats that gives popular music its characteristic rhythmic feel.

Forms

plural: backbeats

Related words

Antonyms: downbeat
See also: beat, rhythm, syncopation
Synonyms: offbeat, syncopation

Etymology

From English compound of back + beat, referring to the emphasis on the "back" or weaker beats of a measure.