browbeat

Alternative forms

• brow-beat

Etymology

brow +‎ beat

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹaʊ.biːt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

browbeat (third-person singular simple present browbeats, present participle browbeating, simple past browbeat, past participle browbeaten)

1. (transitive) To bully in an intimidating, bossy, or supercilious way.

   Though the teacher browbeat all the children, they still acted out during the lesson.

References

• browbeat in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• browbeat in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913