beat a retreat
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
See beat (“to signal beating a drum”).
Verb[edit]
beat a retreat (third-person singular simple present beats a retreat, present participle beating a retreat, simple past beat a retreat, past participle beaten a retreat)
- (informal) To leave hastily in the face of opposition.
Usage notes[edit]
retreat can be qualified by an adjective: to beat a hasty retreat.
Related terms[edit]
References[edit]
- “beat a retreat” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
- “beat a retreat”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.