English Dictionary

BEAT DOWN

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does beat down mean? 

BEAT DOWN (verb)
  The verb BEAT DOWN has 3 senses:

1. persuade the seller to accept a lower priceplay

2. shine hardplay

3. dislodge from a positionplay

  Familiarity information: BEAT DOWN used as a verb is uncommon.


 Dictionary entry details 


BEAT DOWN (verb)


Sense 1

Meaning:

Persuade the seller to accept a lower price

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

bargain down; beat down

Context example:

She beat the merchant down $100

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

chaffer; haggle; higgle; huckster (wrangle (over a price, terms of an agreement, etc.))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot beat down Sue


Sense 2

Meaning:

Shine hard

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

The sun beat down on the hikers

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

beam; shine (emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s


Sense 3

Meaning:

Dislodge from a position

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

She beat the dealer down to a much better price

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

dislodge; reposition; shift (change place or direction)

Sentence frames:

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


 Context examples 


The glare from the lights above beat down upon an aged and withered face.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Then the youth galloped thither with his iron soldiers, broke like a hurricane over the enemy, and beat down all who opposed him.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

So close were they to each other that Alleyne had no time to spring back from the next cut, which beat down his sword and grazed his forehead, sending the blood streaming into his eyes and down his cheeks.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Right in front, the doctor was pursuing his assailant down the hill, and just as my eyes fell upon him, beat down his guard and sent him sprawling on his back with a great slash across the face.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"The nail that sticks out gets pounded." (English proverb)

"If you tell the truth, people are not happy; if beaten with a stick, dogs are not happy." (Bhutanese proverb)

"The best place in the world is on the back of a horse, and the best thing to do in time is to read a book." (Arabic proverb)

"Next to fire, straw isn't good." (Corsican proverb)



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