beat a retreat

Idioms  

1. Also, beat a hasty retreat. Reverse course or withdraw, usually quickly. For example, I really don't want to run into Jeff—let's beat a retreat. This term originally (1300s) referred to the military practice of sounding drums to call back troops. Today it is used only figuratively, as in the example above.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beat a retreat

Journalists who were already staking out the area around Burgenstock under tight security beat a retreat, knowing that the talks could be on again at any moment.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

Along with outsize earnings-day stock losses for AT&T, U.S. equity benchmarks beat a retreat.

From Reuters ● Apr. 21, 2023

The surge has led states and cities across the U.S. to beat a retreat, just weeks after it looked as if the country was going to see a close-to-normal summer.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2021

“The students’ reasoning is if they are to beat a retreat without achieving anything tangible, it will be difficult to regroup,” said Lam.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2014

At the command to go there was nothing for it but to beat a retreat.

From The Outcaste by F. E. Penny