beat off

Related to beat off: beat out

beat off

1. To send away; to force to retreat. Despite the connotation of "beat," this phrase is often used hyperbolically and does not have to reference violent action. Because their house is in such a great location, they have been beating off a lot of interested buyers. I somehow managed to beat off the intruder with a baseball bat. Your daughter is so pretty—it's only a matter of time until she's beating off the suitors!
2. vulgar slang To masturbate. Typically said of males. A: "Why is he all embarrassed today?" B: "Oh, his crush walked in on him beating off. How horrifying is that?"
See also: beat, off
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

beat someone or something off

to drive someone or something away by beating. They beat the enemy off. The army beat off the savage attack, saving the town. I was able to beat off the intruder.
See also: beat, off
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

beat off

Repulse, drive away by blows, as in We tried to beat off the flying ants swarming about us. Originating in the mid-1600s in a military context, this term was being used for other activities by the mid-1700s.
See also: beat, off
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

beat off

v.
1. To drive someone or something away, especially by fighting or hitting: Two robbers attacked me on the subway, but I beat them off with my bag. After a long battle, the soldiers beat off the invaders.
2. To defeat someone or something in a competition: Our company intends to beat off our rivals for the contract. The visiting team was behind us for most of the game, but beat us off squarely in the end.
3. Vulgar Slang To masturbate. Used of males.
See also: beat, off
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

beat off

and ball off and jack off and jag off and jerk off and pull oneself off and toss off and wack off and wank off and whack off and whank off and whip off
1. in. to masturbate. (Usually objectionable.) They say if you beat off too much, you’ll get pimples.
2. in. to waste time; to waste one’s efforts; to do something inefficiently. The whole lot of them were jacking off rather than sticking to business. Stop whanking off and get on with your work!
See also: beat, off
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • chain (someone or something) to (something)
  • chain to
  • be a fate worse than death
  • and his mother
  • be out for blood
  • be out for/after (one's) scalp
  • scalp
  • out for blood
  • (one's) head on a plate/platter
  • can't get over (something)
References in periodicals archive
It beat off competition that included Muppets creator Jim Henson's The Hoobs - another popular children's TV show.
Lane were determined throughout the age groups with their tennis aces serving up success in both the boys and girls tournaments while the girls athletics squad beat off stiff opposition with the boys just being pipped for the top.
Ystrad Mynach beat off stiff competition from colleges across the UK to be crowned winner in the Enterprise category.
New York police said the burglar was arrested after he successfully beat off the intruder.
The 20-year-old caused a shock when he beat off the challenge of his experienced rivals to win the 100metres in 10.22 seconds, the time he set two years ago, and open the door for a spot in the European Cup later in the month.
A man today beat off 15,000 card players across the region to be crowned champion of a North East Poker Superleague.
The young designer beat off competition from contestants from 59 countries to win first prize at the 10th International Bicycle Design Competition in Taipei.
It beat off the Renault Megane, SEAT Leon, Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra to claim the title.
Hall beat off competition from four other nominees to scoop the pounds 5,000 first prize.
The mother-of-one, who beat off hundreds of other hopefuls, has also helped bring families through the heartache of bereavement.
POPULAR PODCASTERS: David Mitchell, above, beat off iTunes chart competition from Jonathan Ross and Ricky Gervais, right
CARDIFF International Pool based in Cardiff Bay beat off stiff competition at this year's Constructing Excellence in Wales Award for the project of the year.
The snack, which won the Breaking Into Tesco contest, is the brainchild of Winchester's Nick Smallwood, who beat off 20 rival chefs to have his product sold by the supermarket chain.
The former King Henry VIII pupil beat off fellow writers including George Orwell, Ted Hughes and JRR Tolkien to the top spot.
Corona Extra hopes DJs from the region will beat off competition from around the world as part of the fifth annual competition, Movida Corona.