beat-up
adjective
dilapidated; in poor condition from use.
beat-up
American
[beet-uhp]
/ ˈbitˈʌp /
adjective
noun
beat up
British
verb
-
(tr, adverb) to strike or kick (a person), usually repeatedly, so as to inflict severe physical damage
-
informal to reproach oneself
adjective
beat up
Idioms
-
Strike repeatedly, as in She told the police her husband had beaten her up . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
-
Also, beat up on . Attack verbally, as in That newspaper article really beat up on the town council . [ Slang ; late 1900s]
Etymology
Origin of beat-up
First recorded in 1935–40; adj., noun use of verb phrase beat up
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.
See Examples For:
If there are racecars, sports cars, and beat-up jalopies alike, are the cars born into their occupation?
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
A beat-up, fourth-seeded Lakers team beating the ascending, fifth-seeded Rockets in the first round won’t top that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
This should provide a badly needed injection of adrenaline to the beat-up small business sector.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
Regular, beat-up people know all this in the particular, the wealthy and successful only in the abstract.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
Naima watched him pull away in the beat-up rickshaw, her heart sinking.
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
The concern is the idea of Josh Allen, as beat up as he is, putting the team on his back yet again, this time against a rested team and at altitude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
Paul, meanwhile, admitted he "got beat up" but insisted he will come back and target a cruiserweight world title.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
It’s beat up and old, and smells like incense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
The Buccaneers are beat up on both sides of the ball, and Baker Mayfield hasn’t been sharp, but desperation can be a powerful healing agent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
The classroom quieted, and several of the boys lowered their gazes to the floor in a quiet signal that they understood: if you keep getting beat up on the same road, take a different road.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
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.
