beat back

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
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.
Ukraine’s defense forces have beaten back many types of Russian attacks during more than four years of war. — Greg Myre, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 Moroccan forces beat back crowds with batons and tear gas at the gates to Ceuta, trying to prevent more from storming across into the tiny Spanish territory that juts on a spit of sandy land into the Mediterranean from Morocco. — Michael Francis Gore, USA Today, 31 July 2026 Elevated price increases pose a challenge for central bankers eager to beat back price hikes. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 July 2026 Especially because Quigley’s district contains the lakefront liberal voters who backed Johnson over Paul Vallas in the 2023 runoff election, when the latter struggled to beat back attacks of being a closet conservative. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for beat back

Rhymes for beat back

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Browse Nearby Words

beat a retreat
beat back
beat/bang the drum for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beat back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat%20back. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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