beat all

Idioms

Surpass anything, especially in a strange or amazing way, as in Adam and his cousin Eve eloped—doesn't that beat all! This phrase appears to have replaced beat the Dutch. It is often used in a negative construction, as in the example. [Slang; first half of 1800s] Also see to beat the band.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“We wanted to know that whomever we picked beat all comers,” Gorman said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

The earnings beat all boils down to the artificial-intelligence boom, which has driven up demand for data and hard drives.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Music is "fundamental" to his writing and he's also "looking for that four-four beat all the time while I'm typing".

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

In the third round, she beat all the boys.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023

When the curfew drums beat, all I want is sleep.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023