to beetle
- verb
- /ˈbiːtəl/
- UK
- In the old mill, teams would beetle the fabric with heavy wooden mallets.
Examples
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He beetled the wooden stake into the ground.
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The linen was beetled to give it a smooth, glossy finish.
-
Workers used to beetle the cloth after weaving it.
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Don't beetle so hard on the metal!
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In the textile workshop, workers would beetle the fabric to remove any creases.
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To achieve a smooth surface, the craftsmen beetled the leather with a heavy mallet.
-
He was taught to beetle wood pieces together to ensure a tight join.
Synonyms
To hit something with a wooden hammer-like tool
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A black-and-yellow beetle that eats potato leaves when young and as an adult
- Specialized
A small leaf beetle with strong back legs that jumps like a flea and chews small holes in leaves
A small beetle that defends itself by shooting a hot, smelly spray and making a popping sound
A beetle that snaps its body to flip into the air and make a quick clicking sound
A small insect with black and yellow stripes that eats potato leaves and harms crops
- US
A small round beetle with bright spots that eats small insects that harm plants
A small round beetle often red with black spots that eats insects like aphids
A shiny black or metallic beetle that lives on the ground and eats harmful insects
A small beetle with black, red and white marks that eats carpets and other fabric
A ground beetle usually black or shiny that eats other insects and helps control pests
- Literature
A small insect that makes holes in wood and a faint ticking sound people once believed warned of death
A slow hard-bodied black beetle that lives on the ground whose young eat rotting plants or stored grain
A large beetle from eastern Asia that attacks and kills hardwood trees like maple or oak
- Specialized
A small beetle from Asia whose young eat the roots of grass and sugarcane
A small brightly colored beetle that eats plant leaves and whose young damage roots and stems
- Specialized
A beetle with a long body and very long antennae that often makes holes in wood
- UK
A large beetle that appears in late spring whose larvae eat plant roots and can damage lawns
A small insect that eats the leaves of bean plants and often damages bean crops
- US
A large brown beetle that appears in late spring and whose larvae eat grass roots
- UK
A small shiny green beetle whose young eat roots and adults eat leaves and flowers
A beetle that releases an oily liquid from its leg joints to stop animals from eating it
- Specialized
A beetle from Asia whose young eat the roots of grasses like sugarcane
A small beetle that jumps into the air with a click to flip itself upright when on its back
- Specialized
A small insect that makes holes in the bark of spruce trees and often kills them
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb beetle meaning 'to pound' comes from the heavy mallet called a beetle (related to beat), so it means to 'hit hard' with that tool.