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beatdown

American  
[beet-doun] / ˈbitˌdaʊn /

noun

  1. a decisive defeat.

    The team is on its way to the quarterfinals after delivering last night's 12–3 beatdown.

  2. a severe beating.

    If you said that to me, you'd get the beatdown of your life.


verb phrase

  1. to cause to be subdued, discouraged, or hopeless.

    Never allow yourself to be beaten down by the hardships you face in life.

    Every time someone raises this issue, others beat them down with outraged attacks on their patriotism.

  2. to beat physically.

    Protesters had been beaten down by police wielding batons.

  3. to persuade (a seller) to lower the price of something.

    His first price was too high, so we tried to beat him down.

Etymology

Origin of beatdown

First recorded in 1985–90, for the noun; 1610–20, for the verb

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:

Our call of the day from Goldman Sachs strategists, led by Peter Oppenheimer, says the beatdown for those hot stocks has likely created an opportunity for investors.

From MarketWatch Aug. 3, 2026

It’s the kind of derisive mutual beatdown that sinks relationships — or that can be the necessary overboard discharge that enables them to stay afloat.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 3, 2026

INGLEWOOD, Calif.—Belgium had just scored its fourth goal in a World Cup beatdown of the U.S. national team this week when its players saw one more way to twist the knife.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

Beginning in early February, he didn’t play more than 20 minutes a game the rest of the season, which, after he experienced such success in the Badger beatdown, he found increasingly frustrating.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 7, 2026

When it got about halfway across the field, Coal started to wonder if a goose beatdown might actually happen.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

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