browbeat

verb

brow·​beat ˈbrau̇-ˌbēt 

browbeat; browbeaten ˈbrau̇-ˈbē-tᵊn  or browbeat; browbeating

transitive verb

: to intimidate or disconcert by a stern manner or arrogant speech : bully

likes to browbeat the waitstaff

Synonyms of browbeat

• intimidate
• bully

Choose the Right Synonym for browbeat

intimidate, cow, bulldoze, bully, browbeat mean to frighten into submission.

intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

Examples of browbeat in a Sentence

His father likes to browbeat waiters and waitresses.

they would often browbeat the younger child until he cried

Recent Examples on the Web

Scarface doesn’t just bark orders at his underlings but browbeats the whimpering Ventriloquist, giving him that warped double personality that made older characters like Two-Face so alluring. — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Pheu Thai, conservatives believed, could always be co-opted or browbeaten into a politics of benefit sharing in which wealth and power were divided between a Pheu Thai figurehead and conservative power brokers. — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026

Dodgers management didn’t browbeat Treinen and Call, and that’s fine — ballplayers should be entitled to share their personal thoughts, however noxious. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

No need to legally browbeat AI makers or require AI developers to implement specialized AI safety features. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for browbeat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete
• crabmeat

Kids Definition

browbeat

verb

brow·​beat ˈbrau̇-ˌbēt 

browbeat; browbeaten -ˌbēt-ᵊn  ; browbeating

: to frighten by a stern manner or threatening speech : bully