made/beat a hasty retreat
idiom
: to leave quickly
He made/beat a hasty retreat when he realized he had entered the wrong office.
Examples of made/beat a hasty retreat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The perpetrators, a group of Irish Republican Army foot soldiers, beat a hasty retreat for a small village, Glencolmcille in County Donegal.
—
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The soldiers loosed a volley or two of musket fire at the mass of agitated native inhabitants and made a hasty retreat to their longboat.
—Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023
One recent morning, the Buhay’s crew was sent on a mission to bust Russian fortifications in the countryside areas near the only highway the Ukrainians can use to enter Bakhmut — or beat a hasty retreat.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2023
But after that language leaked to The New York Times, the Republican administration of President George H.W. Bush beat a hasty retreat.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Of course, Aemond is never one to turn down the opportunity to make a scene, and so even while Lucerys kept trying to beat a hasty retreat, the Targaryen prince insisted on resurrecting some years-old beef: his eye.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 27 Oct. 2022
Civilians and soldiers were tortured on Parkova Street, according to the Ukrainian police investigators now combing the towns and villages from which Russian forces beat a hasty retreat last month.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2022
The company beat a hasty retreat from breakfast, then tried and pulled back twice more in the last two decades.
—Spencer Jakab, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2022
As the Astros dugout reacted, Kelly made a crying facial expression with his bottom lip stuck out, then beat a hasty retreat to the dugout as Correa and the rest of the Astros walked towards him.
—Matt Young, Chron, 4 Aug. 2021
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The soldiers loosed a volley or two of musket fire at the mass of agitated native inhabitants and made a hasty retreat to their longboat.
—Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023
One recent morning, the Buhay’s crew was sent on a mission to bust Russian fortifications in the countryside areas near the only highway the Ukrainians can use to enter Bakhmut — or beat a hasty retreat.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2023
But after that language leaked to The New York Times, the Republican administration of President George H.W. Bush beat a hasty retreat.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Of course, Aemond is never one to turn down the opportunity to make a scene, and so even while Lucerys kept trying to beat a hasty retreat, the Targaryen prince insisted on resurrecting some years-old beef: his eye.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 27 Oct. 2022
Civilians and soldiers were tortured on Parkova Street, according to the Ukrainian police investigators now combing the towns and villages from which Russian forces beat a hasty retreat last month.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2022
The company beat a hasty retreat from breakfast, then tried and pulled back twice more in the last two decades.
—Spencer Jakab, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2022
As the Astros dugout reacted, Kelly made a crying facial expression with his bottom lip stuck out, then beat a hasty retreat to the dugout as Correa and the rest of the Astros walked towards him.
—Matt Young, Chron, 4 Aug. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'made/beat a hasty retreat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near made/beat a hasty retreat
Cite this Entry
“Made/beat a hasty retreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/made%2Fbeat%20a%20hasty%20retreat. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share