beat a retreat
To leave hastily in the face of opposition.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The noisy crowd arrived, so we beat a retreat.”
“I beat a retreat when I see my ex-boyfriend at the supermarket.”
“When the boss started asking difficult questions about the budget, the manager quickly beat a retreat to his office.”
“As soon as the stray dogs started barking at us, we beat a retreat toward the safety of the car.”
“The hikers beat a retreat from the mountain trail when they noticed dark storm clouds and felt the first drops of rain.”
“Realizing that their argument was becoming increasingly irrational, he decided to beat a retreat before the situation escalated into an open confrontation.”
The phrase originates from the military practice of using a drum to signal a tactical withdrawal. To beat a retreat was to strike the drum in a specific pattern, communicating the order to move back from a position or to return to the safety of a camp. While the drum has largely been retired from the modern battlefield, the verb remains to describe the act of leaving a situation with similar haste.
- 01
beat a dead horse
To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
- 02
beat around the bush
To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
- 03
beat as one
To share the same feelings.
- 04
beat Banaghan
To tell wonderful stories, or something which is amazing and remarkable.
- 05
beat feet
To run.
- 06
beat it
To leave; to go away.
- 07
beat off
To masturbate by stimulating one's own penis.
- 08
beat off with a stick
To reject (a person making an unwanted amorous approach).
Last updated August 10, 2026