"beat up"

Posted by Smokey Stover on July 29, 2005

In Reply to: "Beat up" posted by Leenippion on July 29, 2005

: What's the meaning of "beat up"? Thanks!

The ordinary sense of "beat up"(the verb) is found in most dictionaries under "beat." In the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary you'll find: "1 : to strike repeatedly: a : to hit repeatedly so as to inflict pain -- often used with up." There are synonyms, but most words with similar meanings are defined with reference to "beat" or "beat up," so we can consider these as the basic denotation of this type of physical punishment. Although this definition doesn't say so, the usual instruments for this punishment are fists, although one can also use other things, like a stick, a cosh, or perhaps brass knuckles. SS