as in to repel
to drive back
the defense managed to beat off those offensive players who were taking shots at the goalie
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Recent Examples of beat off
He regularly gets beat off the bounce by quicker players.
—
Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The dogs had driven the woman into the surf before a tourist came to her rescue, beating off the dingoes.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP What To Know Obama beat off stiff competition from the likes of David Attenborough and Tom Hanks to win the Outstanding Narrator prize for his narration of the five-part Netflix series Our Oceans, which examines marine life across the world's oceans.
—Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
In 2024, it was given to Netflix France series Class Act, which beat off competition from huge hits like The Bear, Beef and Succession.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Breathing problems which sent my heart beat off the charts.
—David Velasco, Harpers Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The dogs had driven the woman into the surf before a tourist came to her rescue, beating off the dingoes.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP What To Know Obama beat off stiff competition from the likes of David Attenborough and Tom Hanks to win the Outstanding Narrator prize for his narration of the five-part Netflix series Our Oceans, which examines marine life across the world's oceans.
—Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
In 2024, it was given to Netflix France series Class Act, which beat off competition from huge hits like The Bear, Beef and Succession.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Breathing problems which sent my heart beat off the charts.
—David Velasco, Harpers Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beat off
Verb
-
Plants like mint, lavender, eucalyptus, and marigold may repel wasps, and traps can help reduce the colony.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
-
As Venus harmonizes with Pluto, allies become evident while enemies are energetically repelled.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Designed by Pete and Alice Dye to resist one-note dominance, Sawgrass still works like an equal-opportunity interrogator.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
One wonders to what extent a statement like that made by one of the most senior politicians in Washington might serve to strengthen Iran’s determination to resist, and how many additional lives will be lost as a result.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Narratively, Daniel Craig’s returning lead Benoit Blanc takes a back pew to the conflict between a sensitive priest and a malignant monsignor who has turned away from Jesus’ teachings.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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At the same time, a number of private equity players that have been active in the past, like Eurazeo and Carlyle, are said to be turning away from beauty.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Each woman in her family is born with a silver ticket, the gift to turn back time just once.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
-
But the tides have turned back in Mar’s favor.—
Siobhan Reid,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
And Republicans are among those repulsed by the ongoing scandals.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
South Korea is looking to stave off new tariffs from the United States by swiftly passing a bill guaranteeing a $350 billion investment in American industry.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Mar. 2026
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But the penalty kill, led by goalie Matt Wright (12 saves), staved off the first to get back to one-man down, and Ryan scooped a loose puck from the neutral zone for a drive to the net.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beat off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beat%20off. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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