beat down
Britishverb
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informal (tr) to force or persuade (a seller) to accept a lower price
I beat him down three pounds
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(intr) (of the sun) to shine intensely; be very hot
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Force or drive down; defeat or subdue. For example, “And finally to beat down Satan under our feet” ( The Book of Common Prayer , 1552). [c. 1400]
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Strike violently, as in the The sun kept beating down on us all day long . [Mid-1800s]
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beat someone down . Make someone lower a price, as in He's always trying to beat us down . Economist Jeremy Bentham used this idiom in 1793: “Thus monopoly will beat down prices.” [ Slang ; late 1700s]
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.
Frankly, it’s been inspiring to watch the reaction of fans who aren’t accustomed to our absurd marketplace, who aren’t already beaten down by the costs and fees and are calling the organizers out.
Lee’s favorite sectors headed into 2026 are technology, including AI, bitcoin and Ethereum, plus beaten down basic materials, energy and financials.
From MarketWatch
If they are beaten down, their season disappears.
From Los Angeles Times
Architecture was in a funk, aimless and beaten down by the recession of the early and middle 1990s.
From Los Angeles Times
The AI-trade, led by Nvidia, was back in vogue to start the week after a recent beat down, but signs of stress from CoreWeave seem to be weighing on sentiment for Tuesday.
From MarketWatch
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.
