Phrasal verb
beat down
Definition
phrasal verb. to shine very strongly and make you feel hot and tired.
phrasal verb. to radiate intense heat and light upon a surface or person; typically used with the sun as the subject to describe oppressive weather conditions.
Examples
“The sun is beating down on us today.”
“We had to find some shade because the midday sun was beating down on the desert sand.”
“As the tropical sun continued to beat down relentlessly, the hikers found their water supplies dwindling faster than anticipated.”
Examples
simple
“The sun is beating down on us today.”
contextual
“We had to find some shade because the midday sun was beating down on the desert sand.”
complex
“As the tropical sun continued to beat down relentlessly, the hikers found their water supplies dwindling faster than anticipated.”
Usage
usually used in the continuous form with 'on' followed by a person or place.
Teaching tip
focus on the 'oppressive' quality of the action; it is rarely used for a pleasant, warm sun, but rather one that feels like an attack.
Pitfall
The sun beat down us.
The sun beat down on us.
this sense of the phrasal verb requires the preposition 'on' to connect the action to the person or thing affected.
Phrasal verb
Particles
down
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
beat + down + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/beat-down