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Synonyms

beat back

Idioms  

  1. Force to retreat or withdraw, as in His findings beat back all their arguments to the contrary. This phrase was often used in a military context (and still is), as in Their armies were beaten back. [Late 1500s]

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.

Norwegian family drama, Sentimental Value, beat back stiff competition in the best film not in the English language category, including Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

Two-thirds of Santé’s investments are in biotech and medtech startups, whose drugs and devices seek to beat back the biological causes of disease.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

If you opt for private sessions, there’s a misconception that it will involve revealing your innermost secrets, perhaps while lying on a couch, as a therapist prods you to beat back your demons.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026

In other words, it’s riveting prose about how humans beat back despair.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

For nearly three weeks, French troops beat back successive enemy attacks on Fort Souville.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

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

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