Synonyms

browbeat

American

[brou-beet] / ˈbraʊˌbit /

verb (used with object)

browbeat, browbeaten, browbeating

to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully.

They browbeat him into agreeing.

Synonyms:

coerce, harass, tyrannize, badger, cow

browbeat British

/ ˈbraʊˌbiːt /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

browbeater noun

Etymology

Origin of browbeat

First recorded in 1575–85; brow + beat

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.

The actor was shown to no less domineering effect in The Great Santini, playing a frustrated Marine pilot who hectors and browbeats his teenage children.

From BBC

The question is whether the party now meekly succumbs to the browbeating:

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From BBC

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

From BBC

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

From Salon

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