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

A couple of years ago, the biotech backed by billionaire Bob Duggan published data suggesting its drug, ivonescimab, beat back a form of lung cancer longer than Keytruda did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Themes may emerge: how you beat back adversity, sacrificed for others or discovered new ways to love.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026

For nearly three weeks, French troops beat back successive enemy attacks on Fort Souville.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

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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