To attack and injure someone by hitting them repeatedly.
To hurt someone by hitting them a lot.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To physically attack someone, hitting them repeatedly and causing injury.
"Three men beat him up outside the bar and stole his wallet."
They beat him up and left him by the road.
— Common idiomatic usage; reflects phrasing widely found in journalistic and literary sources such as news reporting.
To criticize or blame oneself harshly and excessively (reflexive use: 'beat yourself up').
"Don't beat yourself up over one bad exam — you can retake it."
To hit someone repeatedly in an upward or sustained motion until they are harmed.
To hurt someone by hitting them a lot.
Very common in informal speech. Also used reflexively ('beat yourself up') to mean to blame yourself excessively. In this reflexive sense, it is figurative and very frequent.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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