beat sb off
— phrasal verb with beat uk/biːt/us/biːt/verb beat, beaten or US also beat
to manage to defeat someone who is attacking you:
She beat off her attacker by hitting him with her handbag.
figurative The company managed to beat off the competition and secure the contract.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Responding to an attack
- beat
- beat sb/sth back
- capitulate
- counterattack
- fend sb off
- fight
- fight back
- fight fire with fire idiom
- hold out
- parry
- repel
- repulse
- resist
- resistance
- resistance
- retreat
- see sb off
- stand up to sb/sth
- strike
- withdrawal
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