beat back
phrasal verb
beat back; beaten back or beat back; beating back; beats back
: to force (someone) to go back or to retreat by fighting
Our troops were beaten back by enemy forces.
Police used batons to beat the protesters back.
Examples of beat back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For far too long, American history has operated under the Great Man theory, which posits that brave individuals who beat back haters and doubters accomplish great things, not the masses.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
Image While Raziq’s tactics worked in some respects, beating back the Taliban in Kandahar and earning him the admiration of many who opposed them, the strategy came at a clear cost.
—Matthieu Aikins Bryan Denton, New York Times, 22 May 2024
What Lula Can Do Lula has a track record of beating back pro-deforestation forces.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2022
The Assad regime eventually beat back Islamist groups.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for beat back 
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
Image While Raziq’s tactics worked in some respects, beating back the Taliban in Kandahar and earning him the admiration of many who opposed them, the strategy came at a clear cost.
—Matthieu Aikins Bryan Denton, New York Times, 22 May 2024
What Lula Can Do Lula has a track record of beating back pro-deforestation forces.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2022
The Assad regime eventually beat back Islamist groups.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for beat back
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beat back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near beat back
Cite this Entry
“Beat back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat%20back. Accessed 29 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share