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Glite Dictionary
to beat to the punch

to beat to the punch

15 5.5
To do something before someone else to get an advantage
  • idiom
: adelantarse a
  • She beat me to the punch.
  • going to beat to the punch

OK, so Ford beat Dodge to the punch for an electric pickup truck.

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Examples

Antonyms

to outwait
1 7.0

To wait longer than someone else to get an advantage

How Early

to preempt
  • US
26 6.8
to beat to the punch
15 5.5
on time
321 1.0
late
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

beat to the punch infinitive
beat to the punch past
beating to the punch present participle
beats to the punch third person singular
beaten to the punch past participle

Morphology

beat + to + the + punch

The sense 'to do something before someone else' is metaphorically linked to the literal words (to 'beat' someone to a 'punch' – i.e., strike before the blow lands), so there's a recognizable compositional image. However, the extension from physical striking to the abstract idea of acting first is idiomatic enough that a B1 learner who knows the words may not reliably infer the precise advantage-taking meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase beat to the punch may come from boxing: if one fighter beats the other to the punch, he hits first. So it now means 'to do something before someone else', often to gain an advantage.