beat back

VERB

repel

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chase away confront drive away drive off fend off hold off rebuff resist ward off withstand

STRONG

buck check cool cut decline dismiss disown dispute duel fight kick oppose parry rebut refuse reject traverse

WEAK

beat off brush off cast aside drive back force back force off give cold shoulder to hold back keep at arm's length keep at bay keep off knock down push back put down put to flight stand up against stave off turn down

Antonyms

STRONG

accept agree aid allow approve assist help increase sanction support

WEAK

attract draw

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If you opt for private sessions, there’s a misconception that it will involve revealing your innermost secrets, perhaps while lying on a couch, as a therapist prods you to beat back your demons.

From MarketWatch

The company has faced skepticism over computing deals it has forged that are worth hundreds of billions of dollars and issued a “code red” to beat back a growing threat from Google.

From The Wall Street Journal

When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made the dramatic call for a “code red” last week to beat back a rising threat from Google, he put improving ChatGPT at the top of his list of fixes.

From The Wall Street Journal

He shows no sign of seeing any dark side to it, has no apparent plans to regulate it, and is beating back state attempts to impose limits.

From The Wall Street Journal

In other words, it’s riveting prose about how humans beat back despair.

From Los Angeles Times

beat back

Example Sentences

Related Words