Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Damaged or worn because of neglect or heavy use.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective same as beaten-up.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Worn out by overuse; in a state of disrepair
  • noun Australia, UK, New Zealand An artificially or disingenuously manufactured outcry, usually in the media.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression
  • verb gather
  • adjective damaged by blows or hard usage

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Referring to a beat-up offensive line's poor showing in the spring, Holmes says, Our skill positions are stacked at every spot.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • He was grasping a beat-up, old tin can in one hand, his other arm was partially cut off.

    Joel John Roberts: We Can End Poverty With Egyptian Manpower Not American Click-Activism Joel John Roberts 2011

  • Out front, under the arch of the faux adobe facade, Seitan sat at a beat-up, bolted-down table.

    Steven Crandell: One Burrito for Mankind Steven Crandell 2011

  • Tired of denying all the gossip about him, the young boy now gives in; he reacts with claims too harsh for my palette, like "my mother is a prostitute" and "I beat-up my brother so much yesterday that he was covered in blood."

    Fahad Faruqui: (Not) Giving In To Gossip Fahad Faruqui 2011

  • Some of the transit cops wore uniforms although without badges and others just t-shirts and driving beat-up pick-ups with light-bars that worked quite well.

    Watch out for speed trap in Monclova 2009

  • Beyond the grainy rasp in Mr. Long's voice, the earthiness of "A Winter Tale" is due in part to the aural ambience of Mr. Watson's all-analog studio in Hackney, London; a beat-up old guitar Mr. Long used on several tracks; and the singer-songwriter's relative inexperience: When Mr. Watson brought in a group of accomplished musicians to provide support, it was the first time Mr. Long had ever played with a band.

    Patience Is the Heart Jim Fusilli 2011

  • Except beneath the scribbled-on-walls, beat-up dance floor, and smoky atmosphere lurked a very different bar in the basement.

    My Fair Succubi Jill Myles 2011

  • The reader gets another glimpse of a younger, less beat-up looking Clem fighting what look like Vikings.

    Comic Review: The Anchor #4 | Fandomania 2010

  • In her hands she clutched a beat-up copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, open to the middle.

    Forever Lost Franklin W. Dixon 2011

  • Some of the transit cops wore uniforms although without badges and others just t-shirts and driving beat-up pick-ups with light-bars that worked quite well.

    Watch out for speed trap in Monclova 2009

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