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beat down

B1 neutral mixed both
In simple words

When the sun is really hot and strong, or when you force someone down or get them to lower their price.

Literal meaning: To hit something downward with force repeatedly.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

Of the sun or rain: to shine or fall with great intensity and force.

"The afternoon sun beat down on the hikers as they crossed the desert."

"The sun beat down on the Salinas Valley."

— John Steinbeck, East of Eden, 1952
Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 neutral

To defeat or suppress a person or group harshly and completely.

"The uprising was beaten down by government forces within days."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

To persuade a seller to lower their price through negotiation.

"She managed to beat the dealer down by two hundred dollars on the car."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

The weather sense (sun beating down) is intransitive and very common. The negotiation sense is informal and separable. The sense of suppressing people is used in historical and political contexts.

Commonly used with

sun rain price opponent door heat

Forms

Base
beat down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
beats down
he/she/it
Past simple
beat down
yesterday
Past participle
beaten down
have + pp
-ing form
beating down
continuous

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