ENGLISH
REFERENCE

beat up

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford Informal

phr. v.. to hurt someone badly by hitting or kicking them many times.

phr. v.. to inflict severe physical injury upon a person through repeated blows; typically used in the context of an assault or a fight.


SIMPLE

The bullies tried to beat up the smaller boy.

CONTEXTUAL

He was worried that if he walked through that dark alley alone, someone might try to beat him up.

COMPLEX

The protagonist was nearly beaten up by a group of hired thugs before the police arrived to intervene in the struggle.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
beat (+ object) + up (+ object)
Usage

this is a transitive phrasal verb that can be used with or without an object between the verb and particle.

Teaching tip

distinguish from 'beat' (which can mean to win a game); 'beat up' specifically implies physical violence and injury.

Pitfall

They beat up him.They beat him up.when the object is a pronoun like 'him' or 'her', it must go between 'beat' and 'up'.

© 2026 English Reference