beat-up
adjective
dilapidated; in poor condition from use.
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biedt u.
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:
By high school it was Dr. Dre, bass rattling the rearview mirror of my beat-up white Monte Carlo—raw, confrontational, impossible to ignore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026
This should provide a badly needed injection of adrenaline to the beat-up small business sector.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
Jacksonville has struggled to pressure quarterbacks, especially with Travon Walker at less than full strength and a beat-up secondary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025
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.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
He took off his beat-up army backpack, still filled with his emergency supplies.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
The success of the bearded, ass-kicking Ranger marked a stunning reversal of fortune for Norris, who grew up a shy, unathletic child, who "used to daydream about being strong...to beat up the bullies".
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
Donald Trump's youngest son contacted UK police saying he witnessed a friend in London being "beat up" during a video call, a court has heard.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
“I would say that our agent is beat up, he’s bruised, he’s injured, he’s getting treatment,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters Thursday, saying the agency was “thankful that he made it out alive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
But if Smith was a little beat up physically, his mental approach and his ability to keep things simple never wavered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
He had a cast on his arm and he was looking beat up.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
