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

The son and a guardian claims that Mary Max had depleted his finances and browbeat him. — Beth J. Harpaz The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026

Repent and repair Rather than browbeating people into repentance, the Ne’ilah service’s strategy is to boost them up into it, playing upon the biblical idea of the grandeur of humanity. — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

The son and a guardian alleged that Mary Max had depleted his finances and browbeat him. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

The report starts by outlining how the league browbeats front offices with memos and other communication about cap circumvention and what qualifies, which is absolutely correct. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 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