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.

Themes may emerge: how you beat back adversity, sacrificed for others or discovered new ways to love.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Norwegian family drama, Sentimental Value, beat back stiff competition in the best film not in the English language category, including Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

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 • Dec. 14, 2025

In early October, CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator went on Bloomberg TV and tried to beat back the revolt.

From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025

“Right, I'll go speak with the sheriff, you go ask the Duchess if she'll spread the word that everyone needs to fight if were going to beat back the approaching horde.”

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

beat back

Example Sentences

Related Words