beat-up

[beet-uhp]

adjective

1. Informal.,  dilapidated; in poor condition from use.

   a beat-up old jalopy.

noun

1. the warpwise count of tufts of pile in the warp of carpets.

beat up

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to strike or kick (a person), usually repeatedly, so as to inflict severe physical damage

2. informal,  to reproach oneself

adjective

1. worn-out; dilapidated

Word History and Origins

Origin of beat-up¹

First recorded in 1935–40; adj., noun use of verb phrase beat up

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Regular, beat-up people know all this in the particular, the wealthy and successful only in the abstract.

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We follow the stone path all the way to a beat-up cabin.

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Jacksonville has struggled to pressure quarterbacks, especially with Travon Walker at less than full strength and a beat-up secondary.

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“It’s a little beat-up, which I like,” Hamilton says.

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Sadly, he only sells enough tomes to keep gas in his beat-up van and pursue his calling as Tulsa’s resident “truthstorian,” a blend of journalist and conspiracist.

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Related Words

• batter