Phrasal Verbs

beat up

This page is about the phrasal verb beat up

Meaning

to hurt someone by punching, kicking or hitting them with a hard object

Synonym

assault, attack

For example

  • beat up sb When we were teenagers, we'd go to the bushes near the beach and beat up guys if we thought were gay. I feel so ashamed of myself when I think about this now.

  • beat sb up When Larry gets drunk, he goes home and shouts at his wife, and sometimes he even beats her up.

  • be beaten up Every day, people are beaten up and left bleeding in the streets. Why do people do this?

Quick Quiz

If a woman is being beaten up by her boyfriend outside a nightclub, you'd expect other people to

a. help the woman

b. watch and cheer them on

c. beat each other up as well
a) help the woman b) watch and cheer them on c) beat each other up as well

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1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context

Contributor: Matt Errey