beat back

Idioms

Force to retreat or withdraw, as in His findings beat back all their arguments to the contrary. This phrase was often used in a military context (and still is), as in Their armies were beaten back. [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

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beat back

In the Democratic primary, Platner, 41, beat back Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, who is 78.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

Yet Lopez once again beat back her well-funded opposition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

Norwegian family drama, Sentimental Value, beat back stiff competition in the best film not in the English language category, including Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

Two-thirds of Santé’s investments are in biotech and medtech startups, whose drugs and devices seek to beat back the biological causes of disease.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

The creatures of the Stone circled a while croaking, and one by one beat back ponderously inland over the moors.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

beat back

Example Sentences

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