beat out

beat out idiom
  1. Knock into shape by beating, as in She managed to beat out all the dents in the fender. [c. 1600]
  2. Surpass or defeat someone; be chosen over someone. For example, He got to the head of the line, beating out all the others. [Colloquial; second half of 1700s] Also see beat the pants off.
  3. beat out of. Cheat someone of something, as in He was always trying to beat the conductor out of the full train fare. [Slang; second half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.