beat off
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To fight something off and stop it from winning or hurting you.
Literal meaning: To hit something away from you.
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To successfully resist or defeat an attack, competitor, or challenge.
"The local team beat off strong competition to win the regional championship."
Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral
To physically repel an attacker by striking them away.
"She managed to beat off her attacker and run to safety."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
In British English, 'beat off' is a normal, neutral phrasal verb meaning to repel. In American informal English, it has a vulgar secondary meaning, so speakers sometimes prefer 'fight off' or 'fend off' to avoid ambiguity.
Commonly used with
competition challenge attack rivals bid threat
Forms
Base
beat off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
beats off
he/she/it
Past simple
beat off
yesterday
Past participle
beaten off
have + pp
-ing form
beating off
continuous
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