BEAT A RETREAT Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

beat a retreat

phrase

Definition of beat a retreat

as in retreat

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening Seeing that they were hopelessly outnumbered, the troops beat a retreat.

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat a retreat

beat it

Phrase

Then, a general frontier model with no special training matched or beat it on finance tasks.

— Harshil Shah, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
The name change likely stemmed (in part, at least) from the fact that Amazon Prime Video series Harlan Coben’s Lazarus beat it to market.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026

Definition of beat it

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beat

beat a retreat

beat around the bush

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“Beat a retreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat%20a%20retreat. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of beat a retreat

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