beatdown

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noun beat·down \ ˈbēt-ˌdau̇n \

Definition of beatdown

US, informal

1 :a violent physical beating

… said his own client was badly hurt in a beatdown by NYPD officers …
—Shayna Jacobs

2 :an emphatic or overwhelming defeat

… he was sitting in his Eugene hotel room, … while absorbing a beatdown in PlayStation 3 boxing from his 10-year-old brother Seth.
—Tim Layden

Recent Examples of beatdown from the Web

And the result, in the end, was a 10-2 beatdown at the hands of the Detroit Tigers.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Jason Vargas' star is dimmed in Royals' 10-2 loss to the Tigers," 17 July 2017
LSU's Kramer Robertson and Greg Deichmann spoke to the SEC Network following the Tigers' 11-0 beatdown of South Carolina.

— john roach, NOLA.com, "Watch LSU's Robertson and Deichmann: 'I didn't think I got all of it'," 27 May 2017
In the Warriors’ Game 2 beatdown of the Spurs, Simmons seemed like the only one who took the loss personally.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "Lone Star: Jonathon Simmons Emerges As Silver Lining For Spurs," 22 May 2017
But the way the Blue Jays played the last couple of games this season, including the 19-6 beatdown by Duke, has to irritate some Hopkins followers.

— mike preston, baltimoresun.com, "Mike Preston: Syracuse presents a big challenge for Towson," 15 May 2017
And the announcement of the biggest fight that can be made in boxing was broadcast to HBO's pay-per-view audience, which needed the jolt to wake it up after the one-sided beatdown.

— bob velin, USA TODAY, "Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin signed before Canelo-Chavez took place," 7 May 2017
There was a general feistiness in the home clubhouse, even after a 15-hit beatdown that included 11 extra-base hits, the most against the Twins in 19 years.

— mike berardino, Twin Cities, "Ten-run ninth sends Twins to 17-6 loss to Boston Red Sox," 7 May 2017
For all the thrilling visuals, however, the plot never gains much momentum, and the verbal beatdowns that Drax layers upon characters like Mantis (a literally wide-eyed Pom Klementieff) are repetitive, obvious and painfully tone-deaf.

— john wenzel, The Know, "“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” review: More eye candy, very little heart," 4 May 2017
Predicted Final Score: Alabama 34, Texas A&M 24 Middle Tennessee at Missouri Missouri suffered a beatdown at the hands of Florida last week, while Middle Tennessee lost a heartbreaker to rival Western Kentucky.

— todd talley, Southern Living, "SEC Football Predictions: Week Eight," 1 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beatdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of beatdown

1989

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