browbeat

[brou-beet]

See more synonyms for browbeat on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), brow·beat, brow·beat·en, brow·beat·ing.

to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully: They browbeat him into agreeing.

Origin of browbeat

First recorded in 1575–85; brow + beat

Related formsbrow·beat·er, noun

Synonyms

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cow, badger, tyrannize, harass, coerce.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for browbeat

Contemporary Examples

But if he comes to Israel to save it from itself or to browbeat its governing coalition, he is sure to return empty handed.
Barack Obama’s Cairo Speech, and His Israel Problem
Marty Peretz
February 25, 2013
She says the group "browbeat" Komen into reversing its decision, sparking a media storm that led Handel and many others to resign.
Ex-Komen Official Karen Handel Attacks Planned Parenthood 'Thugs' in New Book
Abigail Pesta
September 5, 2012
The answer is not to browbeat the parties to scurry to the negotiating table.
Fire the Mideast Policy Team!
Leslie H. Gelb
July 7, 2010
After parents and friends “browbeat” them about where to apply, what really influenced their decision about where to go?
How Kids Really Choose a School
Steve Cohen
June 26, 2009

Historical Examples

Can he courteously talk to an equal, and browbeat an impudent dunce?
Farm Ballads
Will Carleton
Still, he said, it was a mistake for a man to allow events to browbeat him.
Dwellers in the Hills
Melville Davisson Post
I have to browbeat, bribe, blackmail and bulldoze you thugs into doing a simple job.
The Repairman
Harry Harrison
I'm not here to browbeat you, Mr. Worthington, or lie to you.
The White Desert
Courtney Ryley Cooper
Wolsey had raised a storm in 1523 by trying to browbeat the House of Commons.
Henry VIII.
A. F. Pollard

British Dictionary definitions for browbeat

browbeat

verb -beats, -beating, -beat or -beaten

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

Derived Formsbrowbeater, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for browbeat

v.

"to bully," originally "to bear down with stern or arrogant looks," 1580s, from brow + beat (v.).

[I]t appears from the earliest quotations ... that the brow in question was that of the beater, not of the beaten party; but it is not evident whether the meaning was 'to beat with one's (frowning) brows,' or 'to beat (?lower) one's brows at.' [OED]

Related: Browbeaten; browbeating.

browbeat

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Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for browbeat

Contemporary Examples

But if he comes to Israel to save it from itself or to browbeat its governing coalition, he is sure to return empty handed.

She says the group "browbeat" Komen into reversing its decision, sparking a media storm that led Handel and many others to resign.

The answer is not to browbeat the parties to scurry to the negotiating table.

After parents and friends “browbeat” them about where to apply, what really influenced their decision about where to go?

Historical Examples

Can he courteously talk to an equal, and browbeat an impudent dunce?

Still, he said, it was a mistake for a man to allow events to browbeat him.

I have to browbeat, bribe, blackmail and bulldoze you thugs into doing a simple job.

I'm not here to browbeat you, Mr. Worthington, or lie to you.

Wolsey had raised a storm in 1523 by trying to browbeat the House of Commons.

browbeat

Word Origin and History for browbeat

v.

Origin of browbeat