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

• 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

Not to mention the relentless White House campaign to browbeat Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates while auditioning dovish successors. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025

Some of them used that stage to browbeat Democratic politicians. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2025

But analysts have said Trump’s aggressive campaign to browbeat Powell into backing rate cuts could jeopardize the Fed’s autonomy and unnerve markets. —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025

Don’t try to browbeat your rivals into making a trade. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 29 July 2025

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