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browbeat

[ brou-beet ]

/ ˈbraʊˌbit /

verb (used with object), brow·beat, brow·beat·en, brow·beat·ing.

to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully: They browbeat him into agreeing.

Origin of browbeat

First recorded in 1575–85; brow + beat

SYNONYMS FOR browbeat

cow, badger, tyrannize, harass, coerce.

OTHER WORDS FROM browbeat

brow·beat·er, noun

Words nearby browbeat

brouwer fixed-point theorem, brow, brow antler, brow presentation, browband, browbeat, browder, browed, browlift, brown, brown alga

Example sentences from the Web for browbeating

Instead, they till a middle ground, choosing to teach by example rather than by browbeating.

If You Grow Up Indian-American, College Graduation Isn’t Enough |Anita Raghavan |May 31, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
See here, deacon, if you've been browbeating that child, I may forget that I'm a minister.

Polly of the Circus |Margaret Mayo
I put on the sternest appearance I could possibly assume, and then addressed him in browbeating tone in English.

Gun running for Casement in the Easter rebellion, 1916 |Karl Spindler
A fat, oily-looking man, with (it is evident) a browbeating manner in reserve.

Turns about Town |Robert Cortes Holliday

Together they passed down the central path, insulting the women and browbeating the men.

Danger! and Other Stories |Arthur Conan Doyle
Everything showed that Napoleon was bent on browbeating the allies.

The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2) |John Holland Rose

British Dictionary definitions for browbeating

browbeat

/ (ˈbraʊˌbiːt) /

verb -beats, -beating, -beat or -beaten

(tr) to discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate

Derived forms of browbeat

browbeater, noun