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
The last time the Ukrainians recaptured large swaths of territory was in the fall of 2022, when their soldiers beat back unprepared Russian troops from a large section of Kharkiv in Ukraine’s northeast.
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Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
But the ability to beat back our more routine pathological menaces is a good indicator of the country’s ability to take on bigger, more virulent threats.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
But, a year later, science, education and civil rights organizations have beaten back some of the most significant policy changes in court, preserving billions in science funding.
—Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
However, its defenders quickly beat back those charges.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beat back
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Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
But the ability to beat back our more routine pathological menaces is a good indicator of the country’s ability to take on bigger, more virulent threats.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
But, a year later, science, education and civil rights organizations have beaten back some of the most significant policy changes in court, preserving billions in science funding.
—Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
However, its defenders quickly beat back those charges.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beat back
Cite this Entry
“Beat back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat%20back. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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