browbeat

[brou-beet]

verb (used with object)

browbeat, browbeaten, browbeating. 

1. to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully.

   They browbeat him into agreeing.

   Synonyms: coerce, harass, tyrannize, badger, cow

browbeat

/ ˈbraʊˌbiːt /

verb

1. (tr) to discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate

Other Word Forms

• browbeater noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of browbeat¹

First recorded in 1575–85; brow + beat

Example Sentences

These Christians claim that true compassion comes from rejecting empathy, arguing that empathy gets in the way of speaking what they believe are "hard truths" they need to browbeat alleged sinners with.

Read more on Salon

For him, in fact, the swagger and browbeating are often an integral part of the negotiating process.

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But when things started to get "really crazy", she browbeat her parents into coming with her.

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During his first term, Trump often used threats such as high tariffs to browbeat America’s allies into concessions.

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Still, he insists on browbeating others to support a cause as lost as, well, making fetch happen.

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Related Words

• badger 
• bully 
• coerce 
• harass 
• hector 
• intimidate 
• lean on 
• oppress