BEAT UP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does beat up mean? 

• BEAT UP (verb)
  The verb BEAT UP has 2 senses:

1. give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression

2. gather

  Familiarity information: BEAT UP used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BEAT UP (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

beat; beat up; work over

Context example:

The teacher used to beat the students

"Beat up" entails doing...:

hit (deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "beat up"):

strong-arm (use physical force against)

soak (beat severely)

pistol-whip (beat with a pistol)

belabor; belabour (beat soundly)

rough up (treat violently)

flog; lash; lather; slash; strap; trounce; welt; whip (beat severely with a whip or rod)

cane; flog; lambast; lambaste (beat with a cane)

kayo; knock cold; knock out (knock unconscious or senseless)

flail; lam; thrash; thresh (give a thrashing to; beat hard)

baste; batter; clobber (strike violently and repeatedly)

larrup; paddle; spank (give a spanking to; subject to a spanking)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to beat up the prisoners

Sense 2

Meaning:

Gather

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

beat up; drum up; rally

Context example:

drum up support

Hypernyms (to "beat up" is one way to...):

collect; pull in (get or bring together)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

'Ah,' says he, 'you can go ashore, if you like, and stay,' he says; 'but as for the ship, she'll beat up for more, by thunder!'

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The scent of the spice islands was in his nostrils as he had known it on warm, breathless nights at sea, or he beat up against the southeast trades through long tropic days, sinking palm-tufted coral islets in the turquoise sea behind and lifting palm-tufted coral islets in the turquoise sea ahead.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Nay, said the Earl of Angus, it is not so certain; for the peasant with whom we spoke last night said that it was rumored that Don Tello, the Spanish king's brother, had ridden with six thousand chosen men to beat up the prince's camp.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)