Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

beat a retreat

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English

Syllables
beat- a re-treat
IPA
14
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To leave hastily in the face of opposition.

Informal

Etymology

See beat (“to signal beating a drum”).

Usage

Inflected Forms

beats a retreat (present, singular) beating a retreat (participle, present) beaten a retreat (participle, past) beat retreat (alternative)

Phrases

beat to quarters

Frequently Paired Words

beat to quarters

Questions

What does beat a retreat mean?
To leave hastily in the face of opposition.
Where does beat a retreat come from?
See beat (“to signal beating a drum”).

How to pronounce beat a retreat

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “beat a retreat”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “beat a retreat”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “beat a retreat” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.