beat a retreat
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Related to beat a retreat: beat out, beat the bushes
beat
(bēt)v. beat, beat·en (bēt′n) or beat, beat·ing, beats
v.tr.
1.
a. To strike repeatedly.
b. To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse; batter.
c. To punish by hitting or whipping; flog.
2.
a. To strike against repeatedly and with force; pound: waves beating the shore.
b. To flap (wings, for example).
c. To strike so as to produce music or a signal: beat a drum.
d. Music To mark or count (time or rhythm), especially with the hands or with a baton.
3.
a. To shape or break by repeated blows; forge: beat the glowing metal into a dagger.
b. To make by pounding or trampling: beat a path through the jungle.
4. To mix rapidly with a utensil: beat two eggs in a bowl.
5.
a. To defeat or subdue, as in a contest. See Synonyms at defeat.
b. To force to withdraw or retreat: beat back the enemy.
c. To dislodge from a position: I beat him down to a lower price.
6. Informal To be superior to or better than: Riding beats walking.
7. Slang To perplex or baffle: It beats me; I don't know the answer.
8. Informal
a. To avoid or counter the effects of, often by thinking ahead; circumvent: beat the traffic.
b. To arrive or finish before (another): We beat you home by five minutes.
c. To deprive, as by craft or ability: He beat me out of 20 dollars with his latest scheme.
9. Physics To cause a reference wave to combine with (a second wave) so that the frequency of the second wave can be studied through time variations in the amplitude of the combination.
v.intr.
1. To inflict repeated blows.
2. To pulsate; throb.
3.
a. To emit sound when struck: The gong beat thunderously.
b. To strike a drum.
4. To flap repeatedly.
5. To shine or glare intensely: The sun beat down on us all day.
6. To fall in torrents: The rain beat on the roof.
7. To hunt through woods or underbrush in search of game.
8. Nautical To sail upwind by tacking repeatedly.
n.
1. A stroke or blow, especially one that produces a sound or serves as a signal.
2. A pulsation or throb.
3. Physics A variation in the amplitude of a wave, especially that which results from the superpositioning of two or more waves of different frequencies. When sound waves are combined, the beat is heard as a pulsation in the sound.
4. Music
a. A steady succession of units of rhythm.
b. A gesture used by a conductor to indicate such a unit.
5. A pattern of stress that produces the rhythm of verse.
6. A variable unit of time measuring a pause taken by an actor, as for dramatic effect.
7.
a. The area regularly covered by a reporter, a police officer, or a sentry: television's culture beat.
b. The reporting of a news item obtained ahead of one's competitors.
8. often Beat A member of the Beat Generation.
adj.
Phrasal Verbs: 1. Informal Worn-out; fatigued.
2. often Beat Of or relating to the Beat Generation.
beat off
1. To drive away.
2. Vulgar Slang To masturbate.
beat out
Idioms: Baseball To reach base safely on (a bunt or ground ball) when a putout is attempted.
beat all
To be impressive or amazing. Often used in negative conditional constructions: If that doesn't beat all!
beat a retreat
To make a hasty withdrawal.
beat around/about the bush
To fail to confront a subject directly.
beat it Slang
To leave hurriedly.
beat the bushes
To make an exhaustive search.
beat the drum/drums
To give enthusiastic public support or promotion: a politician who beats the drum for liberalism.
beat up on
1. To attack physically.
2. To criticize or scold harshly.
to beat the band
To an extreme degree.
Synonyms: beat, batter1, buffet2, hammer, pound2, pummel, thrash
These verbs mean to hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows: beat each other with sticks; a ship battered by storm waves; buffeted him with her open palm; hammered his opponent with his fists; troops pounded by mortar fire; pummeled the bully soundly; dolphins thrashing the water with their tails. See Also Synonyms at defeat.
These verbs mean to hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows: beat each other with sticks; a ship battered by storm waves; buffeted him with her open palm; hammered his opponent with his fists; troops pounded by mortar fire; pummeled the bully soundly; dolphins thrashing the water with their tails. See Also Synonyms at defeat.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Verb | 1. |  beat a retreat - depart hastily |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
يَهْرُبُ بِسُرْعَه
megfutamodik
beat
(biːt) – past tense beat: past participle ˈbeaten – verb1. to strike or hit repeatedly. Beat the drum.
2. to win against. She beat me in a contest.
3. to mix thoroughly. to beat an egg.
4. to move in a regular rhythm. My heart is beating faster than usual.
5. to mark or indicate (musical time) with a baton etc. A conductor beats time for an orchestra.
noun1. a regular stroke or its sound. I like the beat of that song.
2. a regular or usual course. a policeman's beat.
ˈbeater nounˈbeating noun
ˈbeaten adjective
1. overcome; defeated. the beaten team; He looked tired and beaten.
2. mixed thoroughly. beaten egg.
beat about the bush to approach a subject in an indirect way, without coming to the point or making any decision.
beat down1. (of the sun) to give out great heat. The sun's rays beat down on us.
2. to (force to) lower a price by bargaining. We beat the price down; We beat him down to a good price.
beat it to go away. Beat it, or I'll hit you!; She told her little brother to beat it.
beat off to succeed in overcoming or preventing. The old man beat off the youths who attacked him; He beat the attack off easily.
beat a (hasty) retreat to go away in a hurry. The children beat a hasty retreat when he appeared.
beat up to punch, kick or hit (a person) severely and repeatedly. He beat up an old lady.
off the beaten track away from main roads, centres of population etc.
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