browbeat
verb
brow·beat
ˈbrau̇-ˌbēt 
browbeat; browbeaten
ˈbrau̇-ˈbē-tᵊn
or browbeat; browbeating
or browbeat; browbeating
: to intimidate or disconcert by a stern manner or arrogant speech : bully
likes to browbeat the waitstaff
Examples of browbeat in a Sentence
His father likes to browbeat waiters and waitresses.
they would often browbeat the younger child until he cried
Recent Examples on the Web
Don’t try to browbeat your rivals into making a trade.
—
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 29 July 2025
At a two-day meeting that concludes Wednesday, the Fed is widely expected to hold its key interest rate steady despite President Donald Trump’s monthslong campaign aimed at browbeating Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues into cutting rates.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 28 July 2025
But in the end, Trump was able to browbeat Republicans into supporting his costly plans to fund long-term tax cuts for the wealthy, more deportations of immigrants and boosting defense spending.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 3 July 2025
On monetary policy and interest rates, the administration has displayed both a bizarre propensity to browbeat its own government officials and a complete lack of economic understanding.
—Norbert Michel, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for browbeat
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.
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 29 July 2025
At a two-day meeting that concludes Wednesday, the Fed is widely expected to hold its key interest rate steady despite President Donald Trump’s monthslong campaign aimed at browbeating Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues into cutting rates.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 28 July 2025
But in the end, Trump was able to browbeat Republicans into supporting his costly plans to fund long-term tax cuts for the wealthy, more deportations of immigrants and boosting defense spending.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 3 July 2025
On monetary policy and interest rates, the administration has displayed both a bizarre propensity to browbeat its own government officials and a complete lack of economic understanding.
—Norbert Michel, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for browbeat
Cite this Entry
“Browbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/browbeat. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
browbeat
verb
brow·beat
ˈbrau̇-ˌbēt
browbeat; browbeaten
-ˌbēt-ᵊn
; browbeating
; browbeating
: to frighten by a stern manner or threatening speech : bully
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share