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

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That would present a thorny dilemma for the Fed - keep rates high to beat back inflation or lower them to jolt the economy. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025 Faced with a hostile crowd and ineffective police protection, many of the women even used their riding crops to beat back attackers. Rebecca Scofield / Made By History, TIME, 21 Jan. 2025 The Yankees and Dodgers have to beat back celebrity fans with sticks. David Aldridge, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025 Following the arrhythmia incident in Week 6, Harbaugh was checked out by doctors, who were able to get his heart beating back to a normal rate. Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for beat back 

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 15 Feb. 2025.

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