beat-up

[ beet-uhp ]
See synonyms for beat-up on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Informal. dilapidated; in poor condition from use: a beat-up old jalopy.

noun
  1. the warpwise count of tufts of pile in the warp of carpets.

Origin of beat-up

1
First recorded in 1935–40; adj., noun use of verb phrase beat up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beat-up in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beat up

beat up

/ informal /


verb
  1. (tr, adverb) to strike or kick (a person), usually repeatedly, so as to inflict severe physical damage

  2. beat oneself up informal to reproach oneself

adjectivebeat-up
  1. worn-out; dilapidated

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with beat-up

beat-up

Strike repeatedly, as in She told the police her husband had beaten her up. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.