beating-up

[ bee-ting-uhp ]

noun

1. a severe thrashing administered for intimidation or revenge.
2. Textiles. the process by which the loose pick is made an integral part of the woven material.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beating-up¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

“We’ve been beating up on each other a lot,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Officials produced videos of another incident, which appears to show a crowd targeting a police van and later beating up an officer inside the van in the Uttara area of Dhaka.

From BBC

“There’s a man beating up his girlfriend,” Ruelas told a dispatcher.

From Los Angeles Times

The two men, locked in a rematch election this fall, share a rhetorical fondness for beating up on China’s economic practices, including accusing the Chinese of cheating at global trade.

From New York Times

“Teams were beating up top with fastballs. And now he’s either clearing those out or at least fouling them off. He gets another pitch. He just competes in the box.”

From Los Angeles Times