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to beat to a pulp

to beat to a pulp

15 7.6
Hit someone many times until they are badly hurt or win against them very clearly
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : dar una paliza a
  • After the fight, he looked like he had been beaten to a pulp.
  • beat them to a bloody pulp
  • guy was beaten to a pulp
  • just beat you to a pulp

I mean, I would want to beat myself to a pulp and I would scream at myself.

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Examples

Synonyms

to beat up
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
271 4.1

To attack someone by hitting them again and again to hurt them

is about causing extreme injury or completely defeating an opponent
to assault
vsto beat to a pulp
126 4.7

To attack someone physically or try to hurt them

is specifically about repeated severe physical harm or thorough defeat
to bashing
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
57 3.2

To hit something or someone hard and repeatedly

adds the idea of causing severe bodily injury or total domination
to beat the shit out of
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
53 9.9

To hurt or defeat someone very badly, often by hitting them

is about extreme physical harm or crushing defeat beyond ordinary violence
to pummel
vsto beat to a pulp
46 6.7

Hit something many times, usually with your fists

is similar but stresses complete crushing injury or utter defeat
to kick someone's ass
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
45 9.0

To beat or punish someone very badly

is more about causing severe bodily injury by repeated hits rather than slang defeat
to bludgeon
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
23 8.8

To hit someone repeatedly with a heavy stick or club

shares severity but focuses on crushing harm rather than using an object
to clobber
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
19 7.7

To hit someone or something very hard many times

focuses more on harming until the person is incapacitated or defeated
to bash in
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
13 7.5

Hit something hard so it breaks or opens

is used more for severe bodily injury rather than structural damage
to thrash
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
7 6.5

Hit someone hard, often as punishment or in a fight

places stronger emphasis on causing long lasting injury or total defeat
to beat the pants off
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Informal
3 7.7

Win easily by a lot against another person or team

is focused on inflicting severe physical harm, not just easy victory
to beat the stuffing out of
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
1 9.0

Hit someone many times until they are badly hurt

is focused more on extreme injury and total victory in fights
to beat someone's brains out
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
1 9.4

To work very hard or to threaten to hit someone

is about severe repeated harm or total defeat, not only threats
to trounce
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
1 8.4

To beat someone with a whip or stick as punishment

is broader, including crushing physical harm or decisive victory, not only punishment
to beat the daylights out of
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
1 8.6

To hit someone or something very hard and damage it

emphasizes severe injury or complete defeat delivered by force
to baste
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
1 9.5

To hit someone repeatedly and very hard

is used especially for extreme, crushing physical injury or defeat
to smash someone's face in
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
1 9.8

Hit someone in the face very hard to hurt them

applies more widely to severe harm on the body, not only the face
to beat the poop out of
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
9.6

Hit someone many times so they become badly hurt

is used for very extreme harm or decisive complete defeat
to thresh
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
8.8

Hit someone hard as a punishment

is more about crushing injury or complete defeat rather than formal punishment
to bash someone's face in
vsto beat to a pulp
  • NSFW
9.9

To hit someone's face very hard to hurt them

is broader, applying to severe harm to the whole body, not only the face
to smash the head
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
8.8

Hit a person's head very hard and cause serious injury

covers severe harm to the whole person, not limited to the head
to punch someone's lights out
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
9.8

Hit someone very hard so they are knocked out

is about repeated severe harm or total defeat, not only a single knockout
to knock the living daylights out of
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
9.9

To hit someone very hard or to shock someone very much

focuses more on causing long lasting severe injury or complete defeat
to bastinado
vsto beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
9.9

To beat the soles of someone's feet as a form of punishment

is broader, referring to repeated severe harm anywhere on the body

Antonyms

481 1.2

To become healthy again after an injury, illness, or emotional pain

How Violent

to beat to a pulp
  • Offensive
15 7.6
to beat the stuffing out of
  • Offensive
1 9.0
to beat up
  • Offensive
271 4.1
to pummel
46 6.7
to punch
455 1.4
to hit
1.0

Surface Forms

beat to a pulp infinitive
beating to a pulp present participle
beats to a pulp third person singular
beaten to a pulp past participle

Morphology

beat + to + a + pulp

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'beat' (to hit) + 'pulp' (a soft, mashed mass) gives the resultative sense 'beat until reduced to a pulp' i.e. injure or defeat severely. This resultative construction (beat X to Y) is a standard, compositional pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the component words.

Etymology

The idiom beat to a pulp comes from the image of beating something until it becomes pulp, the soft, mashed part of fruit or wood. So, saying someone was beaten to a pulp means they were 'hurt very badly' or 'defeated completely'.