closely beaten

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "closely beaten" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where someone or something has narrowly lost to another competitor or entity. Example: "In the final race, she was closely beaten by her rival, finishing just a second behind."

✓ Grammatically correct

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

By the time they had beaten Canada in two closely fought sets, the grandstand was almost full.

The Guardian - Sport

MI5 faces claims that it has been complicit in torture as recently as this February, after a former British resident told how he was beaten by Egyptian security forces working closely with the UK.

Independent

The company's biggest mistake was aligning itself too closely with a state government that has historically beaten up on city schools while failing to alleviate the financing inequities that helped cripple the system in the first place.

The New York Times

A group of women protesters, several of them closely associated with the 2011 uprising, reported being beaten in custody and dumped hours later in the desert outside Cairo.

Los Angeles Times

Place fairly closely together on the baking tray and glaze with the milk or beaten egg.

WikiHow

"The company has undoubtedly beaten others to the punch with this design and rivals will watch closely to see whether it is a capability that appeals to consumers".

The Guardian - Tech

Senior officers at Manchester have been working closely with the mother of Sophie Lancaster, a 20-year-old Lancashire student who was viciously beaten to death by a gang of teenagers after they took exception to her dreadlocks and piercings.

Independent

But despite starting as firm favourite, he was nearly beaten to the leadership by a figure from the left of the party, Chris Huhne, after a closely fought, and at times fractious, contest.

BBC

It would be a rematch of one of the most closely fought games of the regular season, in which Giants place-kicker Jay Feely missed three field-goal attempts that would have beaten the Seahawks in Seattle.

The New York Times

"SAC Lahore Members Harassed and Beaten Up".

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Several journalists were beaten.

The Washington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "closely beaten" to emphasize the narrow margin of defeat in a competition or contest. It's suitable when you want to convey that the outcome was very close and could have easily gone the other way.

Common error

Avoid using "closely beaten" when the defeat was decisive or by a large margin. The phrase is only appropriate when the competition was tight and the difference between winning and losing was minimal.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "closely beaten" functions as an adverb-verb construction, modifying the verb "beaten" to indicate the manner or degree of the defeat. It describes that the defeat was by a narrow margin. As Ludwig AI specifies, the phrase is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

News & Media

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Science

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

Wiki

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Encyclopedias

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Reference

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "closely beaten" is a grammatically correct way to describe a narrow defeat, but it's not particularly common. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is indeed usable. The analysis reveals that while the phrase is valid, its usage is less frequent than alternatives such as "narrowly defeated". Remember to reserve this phrase for situations where you want to stress how tight the competition was and that the defeat was by a very small margin.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

narrowly defeated

Emphasizes the small margin by which someone was defeated.

just barely beaten

Highlights how slight the difference was in the defeat.

tightly contested loss

Focuses on the competitive nature of the loss.

slightly outpaced

Indicates a small difference in speed or performance.

barely edged out

Describes being narrowly defeated, often in a race or competition.

hard-fought defeat

Highlights the effort made despite the loss.

lost by a hair

An idiomatic way of saying the defeat was by a very small margin.

closely challenged but defeated

Acknowledges the strong challenge before the eventual defeat.

in a photo finish loss

Implies a defeat determined by a very close margin, often in racing.

nearly triumphed but lost

Focuses on the near-victory before the ultimate defeat.

FAQs

How can I use "closely beaten" in a sentence?

"Closely beaten" is used to describe a situation where someone or something has narrowly lost to another competitor or entity. For example: "In the final race, she was closely beaten by her rival, finishing just a second behind."

What are some alternatives to "closely beaten"?

You can use alternatives like "narrowly defeated", "slightly outpaced", or "barely edged out" depending on the context.

What does it mean when someone is described as "closely beaten"?

It means they lost, but only by a small margin. The competition was intense, and the result could have easily been different. It's not the same as being easily defeated.

Is "closely beaten" a common phrase in English?

While grammatically correct, "closely beaten" isn't as common as other alternatives like "narrowly defeated". Its usage depends on the specific context you wish to convey.