beat up

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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb (transitive):
    • To assault physically; to hit repeatedly and violently: "beat up" means to attack someone with punches, kicks, or other blows, typically causing injury.
    • To gather or summon (support, business, etc.): In a less common, informal usage, "beat up" can mean to try to obtain something, like support or customers, through active effort.
Usage and Examples

  • Verb (Physical Assault):

    • The bullies threatened to beat him up after school.
    • He was beaten up by a gang in a dark alley.
    • I can't believe someone would beat up an old man for his wallet.

  • Verb (Gathering/Summoning - Informal):

    • The politician went door-to-door to beat up support for the new policy. (This usage is less frequent.)
Advanced Usage and Notes
  • Passive Voice: Very commonly used in the passive form ("was beaten up") to describe the victim's experience.
  • Separable Phrasal Verb: The object can often come between "beat" and "up," especially with pronouns.
    • They beat the informant up.
    • They beat him up. (More natural than "beat up him").
Variants and Related Words
  • Beat-up (Adjective): Describes something that is worn out, damaged, or in poor condition from extensive use.
    • He drives a beat-up old truck.
  • Beating (Noun): The act or instance of physically assaulting someone.
    • He suffered a severe beating.
Synonyms
  • Assault: To make a physical attack on.
  • Thrash: To beat soundly.
  • Pummel: To strike repeatedly, typically with the fists.
  • Rough up: To treat violently; to beat (often implies less severity than "beat up").
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Beat down: To strike someone to the ground; also can mean (of the sun) to shine intensely.
    • The sun was beating down on us.
  • Beat out: To defeat narrowly; to extinguish (a fire) by beating.
    • She beat out her rival for the promotion.
Idioms and Common Phrases
  • Beat yourself up (over something): To blame or criticize oneself harshly for a mistake or failure.
    • Don't beat yourself up over the failed test; just study harder next time.
Verb
  1. gather
    • drum up support
  2. give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression
    • Thugs beat him up when he walked down the street late at night
    • The teacher used to beat the students

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