beats me

Idioms  

1. This baffles or puzzles me, as in I don't know how he does it—beats me! This term originally may have alluded to a winning poker hand. It may also be related to the even earlier usage of beat for “astonished” or “at a loss.” [Slang; mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

"If I say to Paddy, 'I'm the best at snakes and ladders', he's going to be playing snakes and ladders for eight hours until he beats me," says Rimmer.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

“He beats me some reps, I get him some reps. That’s what it’s all about, that’s the name of the game — getting better,” Neal said.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2022

Each time the computer beats me, I’m reminded of the ways humanity can survive a biological apocalypse.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2020

Why economists and economic writers can’t appreciate these realities and quit repeating hogwash beats me.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2018

Almost immediately after that he shuddered going over a painted cattleguard on the road, muttering to himself, “It sure beats me how a handful of white stripes can fool cows like that.”

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• baffling
• impenetrable
• inconceivable
• mystifying
• opaque
• puzzling
• unfathomable
• unimaginable
• unintelligible