Beat up
verb
To hurt someone badly by hitting or kicking them again and again.
He got beaten up by a gang of thugs on his way home.
Often appears as...
- get beaten up
- beat up badly
Usage tips
Informal
adjective
Old and in poor condition.
He drives a beat-up old car.
Often appears as...
- beat-up car
- beat-up clothes
Usage tips
Informal
verb
To hurt someone badly by hitting or kicking them again and again.
He got beaten up by a gang of thugs on his way home.
Often appears as...
- get beaten up
- beat up badly
Usage tips
Informal
adjective
Old and in poor condition.
He drives a beat-up old car.
Often appears as...
- beat-up car
- beat-up clothes
Usage tips
Informal
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Violent Connotation
The verb 'beat up' implies a severe physical attack, more intense than just being hit once.
The victim was beaten up to the point where hospitalization was necessary.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Usage
Sometimes, 'beat up' is used figuratively to describe self-criticism or harsh judgment towards oneself.
Don't beat yourself up over a small mistake, learn from it!
Pro Tip 3/3Informal Context
'Beat up' is informal and used more in spoken than written language, and mostly in casual conversation or media, not formal contexts.
He didn’t want to admit it, but I could tell he had been beaten up.
Pro Tip 1/3Violent Connotation
The verb 'beat up' implies a severe physical attack, more intense than just being hit once.
The victim was beaten up to the point where hospitalization was necessary.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Usage
Sometimes, 'beat up' is used figuratively to describe self-criticism or harsh judgment towards oneself.
Don't beat yourself up over a small mistake, learn from it!
Pro Tip 3/3Informal Context
'Beat up' is informal and used more in spoken than written language, and mostly in casual conversation or media, not formal contexts.
He didn’t want to admit it, but I could tell he had been beaten up.
Pro Tip 1/3Violent Connotation
The verb 'beat up' implies a severe physical attack, more intense than just being hit once.
The victim was beaten up to the point where hospitalization was necessary.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Usage
Sometimes, 'beat up' is used figuratively to describe self-criticism or harsh judgment towards oneself.
Don't beat yourself up over a small mistake, learn from it!
Pro Tip 3/3Informal Context
'Beat up' is informal and used more in spoken than written language, and mostly in casual conversation or media, not formal contexts.
He didn’t want to admit it, but I could tell he had been beaten up.
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