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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The rules promise to beat back the deluge of fake reviews on e-commerce sites and social media. —

Michael Kan, PCMAG, 22 Oct. 2024 In the May primary, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), another committee chair, beat back a challenger who criticized his support for Ukraine aid. —

Alec Dent, Washington Post, 24 June 2024 In April, Musk seemed to beat back concerns that Tesla was losing its EV edge by insisting autonomy and robotics would live at the center of Tesla’s mission. —

Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 11 Oct. 2024 His address was posted on X on the same day that footage circulated of Israeli soldiers briefly raising their flag in a Lebanese border village, fuelling Lebanese fears that Israel intends to occupy territory, not just attempt to beat back Hezbollah. —

Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beat back