beat the bushes
Synonym of pound the pavement (“to campaign diligently; to seek something”).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I need to beat the bushes to find a new job.”
“We beat the bushes for a cheap apartment in the city.”
“The manager told the sales team to beat the bushes for new clients before the end of the quarter.”
“The local animal shelter is beating the bushes to find volunteers who can help walk the dogs during the busy summer months.”
“The campaign manager spent weeks beating the bushes for potential donors, hoping to secure enough funding to keep the candidate in the race.”
The expression originates from the hunting practice of striking shrubs and undergrowth to drive game into the open. By striking the foliage, hunters forced concealed animals into view, a method that provided the literal basis for the figurative pursuit of difficult-to-find objects or information. The term arose as a direct extension of this technique, mirroring the contemporary phrase scare up in its transition from the physical landscape of the hunt to general search.
- 01
beat a dead horse
To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
- 02
beat a retreat
To leave hastily in the face of opposition.
- 03
beat around the bush
To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
- 04
beat as one
To share the same feelings.
- 05
beat Banaghan
To tell wonderful stories, or something which is amazing and remarkable.
- 06
beat feet
To run.
- 07
beat it
To leave; to go away.
- 08
beat off
To masturbate by stimulating one's own penis.
Last updated August 10, 2026