beatdown

noun

beat·​down ˈbēt-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce beatdown (audio)
1
US, informal : a violent physical beating
… said his own client was badly hurt in a beatdown by NYPD officers …Shayna Jacobs
2
US, informal : an emphatic or overwhelming defeat
… he was sitting in his Eugene hotel room, … while absorbing a beatdown in PlayStation 3 boxing from his 10-year-old brother Seth.Tim Layden

Examples of beatdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fox’s Saturday broadcast absolutely buried the year-ago analogue, a Penn State beatdown of West Virginia that averaged just shy of 3 million viewers. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 2025 Young ended up 13-for-30 for 161 yards, took four sacks and had two interceptions in a 47-10 beatdown bestowed by the New Orleans Saints (who would end the season 5-12). Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2025 Mahomes has played in 133 games in the regular season and playoffs and had never absorbed a similar beatdown. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025 In the early morning hours of July 26, a confrontation outside the LoVe nightclub, located on the corner of Fourth and Elm Street in the city's downtown business district, led to a horrific beatdown that was captured on video. FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beatdown

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of beatdown was in 1989

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beatdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beatdown. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!