beat a retreat

== English == === Alternative forms === beat retreat === Etymology === See beat (“to signal beating a drum”). === Verb === beat a retreat (third-person singular simple present beats a retreat, present participle beating a retreat, simple past beat a retreat, past participle beaten a retreat) (informal, idiomatic) To leave hastily in the face of opposition. ==== Usage notes ==== The word retreat can also be qualified by an adjective: to beat a hasty retreat. ==== Related terms ==== === References === “beat a retreat” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman. “beat a retreat”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.