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]

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Example Sentences

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

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

America’s biotech industry supports more than 10 million jobs, $3 trillion in economic output and gives America the capability to beat back pandemics and defeat biological warfare.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

The company has faced skepticism over computing deals it has forged that are worth hundreds of billions of dollars and issued a “code red” to beat back a growing threat from Google.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chase away
• confront
• drive away
• drive off
• fend off
• rebuff
• resist
• withstand