take a beating

idiom

: to be beaten badly in a game or contest

The team took a beating in last night's game.

—often used figuratively to suggest a setback or loss

Our plans took a real beating from the review committee.

Many investors took quite a (bad) beating when the stock market crashed.

Examples of take a beating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The stainless steel can take a beating (and a chewing) and still look new. —Clint Davis, People.com, 4 July 2025

Shatterproof glass Lanterns can take a beating, both en route to the site and during the normal course of use. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2025

With sturdy aluminum poles sourced from DAC, manufacturers of the tent poles in many of my favorite hiking tents on the market, and a UV-resistant, high-denier ripstop seat, this stool can take a beating (or many, many seatings). —Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025

Accessing the contents of your pack is made easy through a simple roll top and buckle, and the liner’s durable ripstop nylon is built to take a beating. —Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for take a beating

• accreting
• competing
• completing
• concreting
• defeating
• deleting
• depleting
• entreating
• preheating
• reheating
• repeating
• retreating