Synonyms of browbeat

browbeat

verb

ˈbrau̇-ˌbēt 

as in to intimidate

to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats

they would often browbeat the younger child until he cried

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intimidate
• bully
• coerce
• frighten
• scare
• strong-arm
• startle
• bulldoze
• harass
• cow
• threaten
• pick on
• hector
• badger
• shock
• bogart
• bullyrag
• terrify
• terrorize
• pressure
• blackjack
• compel
• bluster
• force
• spook
• horrify
• bludgeon
• menace
• oblige
• alarm
• constrain
• demoralize
• disturb
• trash-talk
• hound
• affright
• unnerve
• perturb
• upset
• disconcert
• distress
• dragoon
• press
• push around
• discompose
• disquiet
• psych (out)
• make
• unman

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassure
• cheer
• encourage
• comfort
• soothe
• console
• steel
• persuade
• convince
• solace
• embolden
• hearten

Synonym Chooser

How is the word browbeat different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of browbeat are bulldoze, bully, cow, and intimidate. While all these words mean "to frighten into submission," browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

In what contexts can bulldoze take the place of browbeat?

In some situations, the words bulldoze and browbeat are roughly equivalent. However, bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

When might bully be a better fit than browbeat?

The synonyms bully and browbeat are sometimes interchangeable, but bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

When is it sensible to use cow instead of browbeat?

The words cow and browbeat are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

When is intimidate a more appropriate choice than browbeat?

While in some cases nearly identical to browbeat, intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of browbeat

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

Scarface doesn’t just bark orders at his underlings but browbeats the whimpering Ventriloquist, giving him that warped double personality that made older characters like Two-Face so alluring. — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Pheu Thai, conservatives believed, could always be co-opted or browbeaten into a politics of benefit sharing in which wealth and power were divided between a Pheu Thai figurehead and conservative power brokers. — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026

Dodgers management didn’t browbeat Treinen and Call, and that’s fine — ballplayers should be entitled to share their personal thoughts, however noxious. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026