Dictionary

beat up en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• audio AuE
• /ˈbiːt ˌʌp/
• bēt′ ŭp′
• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (slang) Battered by time and usage; beaten up.

Forms

Synonyms

beat · dilapidated · beaten up

beat up en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• audio AuE
• /ˈbiːt ˌʌp/
• bēt′ ŭp′
• (US) audio

Meanings

1. A person who, or thing that, has been beaten up.
   • Well, two beat ups (the bullied kids) would split that cash fifty-fifty. 2009 August 10, Thomas Cody Mullenaux, Numbskull, page 257:
2. (UK, slang) An act of beating up. ▸ A raid.
   • These hit-and-run LRDG attacks — “beat-ups,” the patrols were beginning to call them — continued, and added to the enemy's mounting difficulties. 1987, John W. Gordon, The Other Desert War: British Special Forces in North Africa, 1940-1943, page 86:
3. An act of beating up. ▸ A beating; a hazing.
   • We gave him wedgies and did mock beat-ups. We never hurt him or intended to hurt him, but he went along with our tough guy sort of image, and took it tongue in cheek and got it. 2008, Josh Frank, Charlie Buckholtz, In Heaven Everything Is Fine: The Unsolved Life of Peter Ivers and the Lost History of New Wave Theatre, page 243:
   • Frequently on guest nights beat ups were held by the Third Term, and cadets of the First Term (and, sometimes, the Second Term) were singled out individually. 2010, John Golley, Jet, page 14:
4. (Australia, New-Zealand, UK) An artificially or disingenuously manufactured alarm or outcry, especially one agitated by or through the media.
   • Media beat-ups and xenophobia are nothing new to the Vietnamese people. 2007, Pauline Nguyen, Luke Nguyen, Mark Jensen, Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart, page 189:
   • 2009, Newstalk ZB, Hydro project claims "a beat up" - Brownlee, Newstalk ZB.
   • These debates can be difficult to navigate and are all too easily reduced to simplistic reflections of individual taste and vulnerable to journalistic beat-ups. 2009, Ken Gelder, Paul Salzman, After The Celebration: Australian Fiction 1989-2007, page 95:
   • To the people of CQ^([Central Queensland]) the Internet is nothing more than the subject of media beat ups about pornography and bomb making. 1995 September, David Jones, “1000 Users on a 486”, in AUUG ′95 & Asia-Pacific World Wide Web ′95 Conference & Exhibition: Conference Proceedings, page 106:
5. A tree planted later than others in a plantation.
   • The data include measurements from both the original tree plantings and subsequent beat-ups. 2003, K. J. Foot, M. Hislop, S. McNeilly, “The effect of green composted waste on tree establishment on landfill”, in Heather M. Moore, Howard R. Fox, Scott Elliott, editors, Land Reclamation: Extending The Boundaries: Proceedings Of The 7th International Conference, Runcorn, UK 13-16 May 2003, page 216:

Forms

Synonyms

hazing · hazing

beat up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• audio AuE
• /ˈbiːt ˌʌp/
• bēt′ ŭp′
• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (transitive) To give a severe beating to; to assault violently with repeated blows.
   • If anyone wondered why the liner went straight at the panzerschiff, Fegen's reasoning was clear. The 11-inch guns could hit him at long range, but the short-barrelled 6-inch on his own ship couldn't range out quite as far. So, to start beating up Admiral Scheer, he had to get closer. 2022 December 3, Drachinifel, 5:25 from the start, in HMS Jervis Bay - Guide 312, archived from the original on 16 May 2023:
   • You don't beat people up, so that you can live in a society where nobody would beat you up.
   • I got beaten up by thugs on my way home.
2. (transitive) To wake up earlier than (somebody).
   • I wanted to beat you up this morning and make breakfast for you for once.
3. (obsolete) To attack suddenly; to alarm.
   • At Breach of Wall, or Hedge-ſurprize, ¶ She ſhar’d in th’ hazard and the prize : ¶ At beating quarters up, or forrage, ¶ Behav’d her ſelf with matchleſſe courage ; 1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “Canto II”, in Hudibras. The First Part. […], London: […] J. G. for Richard Marriot, […], →OCLC, page 49:
   • Pa Blanken tells me that the Japs beat up our camp a month ago and we have lost all our heavy gear and moved up into the hills - he does not know where. Hell! No casualties, however.[…]Our material losses were very serious. The Japs had found a rucksack containing all our money, our medicines, including all our vital quinine, a copy of our signals plan, and a number of maps.[…]It seems probable that the Japs spotted our camp from the air. They certainly knew its exact position and came straight to it. 1948, Freddie Spencer Chapman, The Jungle Is Neutral, published 2003, pages 272–275:
   • "We know for certain that their army does not consist of more than three thousand men, including all sorts." Sir Henry Percy, on hearing this, was greatly rejoiced, and cried out, "To horse! to horse! for by the faith I owe my God, and to my lord and father, I will seek to recover my pennon, and to beat up their quarters this night." 1839, Jean Froissart, chapter CXXVI, in Thomas Johnes, transl., Chronicles of England, France, Spain, and The adjoining Countries, page 367:
   • On this occaſion, the diligent prior o St. Andrews aſſembled 600 horſe, with which he aſſailed the French, beat up their quarters, intercepted their proviſions, and cut off their ſtraggling parties. 1770, John Belfour, A New History of Scotland, pages 137–138:
   • Our people are daily gaining Health Spirits and Discipline — the spade & pick axe throw'd aside — for the British Rebels to take up — they notwithstanding affect to hold us cheap and threaten to beat up our Quarters — if we don’t beat up theirs first which is in Contemplation, this in time. 1777 June 7, Anthony Wayne, letter to Sharp Delany from the Camp at Mount Prospect 7th June 1777, in 1893, Charles Stillé, Major-General Anthony Wayne and the Pennsylvania Line in the Continental Army, page 6
4. To cause, by some other means, injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up.
   • He [= a paraglider pilot] flew into a hill and beat himself up pretty badly. 2008 October 29, on Real Rescues (a British TV program)
5. (reflexive) To feel badly guilty and accuse (oneself) over something.
   • Don’t beat yourself up over such a minor mistake.
6. To make (someone) feel badly guilty and accuse (them) over something.
   • It's getting louder and louder Every time I think about you, about you I'll be better off without you, without you I wish my heart would stop, wish my heart would stop Beating me up (whoa, oh, whoa) Beating me up (whoa, oh, whoa) Beating me up 2015 May 12, Rachel Platten, Dave Bassett, Brian West, “Beating Me Up”, in Fight Song, performed by Rachel Platten:
7. (WW2-air-pilots'-usage) To repeatedly bomb a military target or targets.
8. To get something done (derived from the idea of beating for game).
9. (intransitive) To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.
10. (dated, intransitive) To disturb; to pay an untimely visit to.
11. (dated, intransitive) To go diligently about in order to get helpers or participants in an enterprise.
    • to beat up for recruits, or for volunteers

Forms

Deriveds

beat 'em up · beat-up

Relateds

beat to a pulp

Synonyms

process · rough up · do over · work over

Translations (92)

de aufmischen (to give a beating to) · es preocuparse (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · hy ծեծ տալ (to give a beating to) · de überfallen (to attack suddenly; to alarm) · cmn 暴打 (to give a beating to) · ru лави́ровать (nautical: to sail to windward) · fi luovia (nautical: to sail to windward) · fi saada valmiiksi (to get something done) · fi kurittaa (military: to repeatedly bomb a target) · gl sostainear (to give a beating to) · es vapulear (to give a beating to) · pt espancar (to give a beating to) · th กระทืบ (to give a beating to) · es paporrear (to give a beating to) · gl apalambrar (to give a beating to) · es aporrear (to give a beating to) · ru избива́ть (to give a beating to) · de die Werbetrommel rühren (to go diligently about in order to get helpers or participants in an enterprise) · de fertigmachen (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · sv klå upp (to give a beating to) · fr tabasser (to give a beating to) · it rompere le ossa (to give a beating to) · es pegar (to give a beating to) · vi đánh đập (to give a beating to) · gl mallar (to give a beating to) · la mulcō (to give a beating to) · gl apadumar (to give a beating to) · pl pobijać (to give a beating to) · es tundir (to give a beating to) · fi haalia (to go diligently about in order to get helpers or participants in an enterprise) · de kreuzen (nautical: to sail to windward) · tl bugbugin (to give a beating to) · gl bourar (to give a beating to) · km វាយ (to give a beating to) · km វាយដំ (to give a beating to) · es zurrar (to give a beating to) · fi yllättää (to attack suddenly; to alarm) · de es aufnehmen mit (to get something done) · fi antaa turpaan (to give a beating to) · ru изби́ть (to give a beating to) · sv slå ner (to give a beating to) · az döymək (to give a beating to) · hy ծեծել (to give a beating to) · de schlagen (to give a beating to) · sk zbiť (to give a beating to) · th ทำร้าย (to give a beating to) · gl fostregar (to give a beating to) · es percutar (to give a beating to) · fr se mettre la rate au court-bouillon (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · he הרביץ (to give a beating to) · no banke opp (to give a beating to) · gl brear (to give a beating to) · fi hakata (to give a beating to) · es aporracear (to give a beating to) · es sacar la mierda (to give a beating to) · fr flanquer une tripotée (to give a beating to) · es percutir (to give a beating to) · hy քացու տակ գցել (to give a beating to) · es solfear (to give a beating to) · gl zorregar (to give a beating to) · sk zmlátiť (to give a beating to) · fi tehdä yllätyshyökkäys (to attack suddenly; to alarm) · fi murehtia (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · hy գանահարել (to give a beating to) · es martirizar (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · de verprügeln (to give a beating to) · th โทษ (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · es apalear (to give a beating to) · pl pobić (to give a beating to) · gl marteirar (to feel guilty and accuse oneself over something) · no gje juling (to give a beating to) · ko 구타하다 (to give a beating to) · gl abalar (to give a beating to) · tl mabugbog (to cause injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up) · nv bił ndzíłtsʼin (to give a beating to) · sv misshandla (to give a beating to) · km វាយដំច្រំធាក់ (to give a beating to) · tl mambugbog (to cause injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up) · de zurichten (to cause injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up) · th ทุบตี (to give a beating to) · es coñacear (to give a beating to) · cs zmlátit (to give a beating to) · es sacarle el ancho (to give a beating to) · it picchiare (to give a beating to) · es caerle golpe (to give a beating to) · fi teloa (to cause injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up) · es sopapear (to give a beating to) · ga greasáil (to give a beating to) · pl skuć (to give a beating to) · fi saada selkäänsä (to give a beating to) · pl skuwać (to give a beating to) · es tundear (to give a beating to)