beat back

phrasal verb

beat back; beaten back or beat back; beating back; beats back
: to force (someone) to go back or to retreat by fighting
Our troops were beaten back by enemy forces.
Police used batons to beat the protesters back.

Examples of beat back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Governors in Oregon and Illinois have beaten back his planned military deployments in their states. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 My grandfather used to use a wooden walking stick and beat back the nettles—just savage them. Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025 Cohen beat back primary challengers in his first campaigns for the 9th congressional district, who argued that the majority-Black seat deserved Black representation. David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025 There are many new information sources with which frontline producers already are beating back climate change or adapting to it at the very least. Felipe Arango, Sourcing Journal, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beat back

Cite this Entry

“Beat back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat%20back. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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