The difference between Beat up and Work over

When used as verbs, beat up means to give a severe beating to, whereas work over means to improve a prototype, or first draft.

Beat up is also noun with the meaning: a person who, or thing that, has been beaten up.

Beat up is also adjective with the meaning: battered by time and usage.

check bellow for the other definitions of Beat up and Work over

  1. Beat up as a verb (transitive):

    To give a severe beating to; to assault violently with repeated blows.

    Examples:

    "I got beaten up by thugs on my way home."

  2. Beat up as a verb (obsolete):

    To attack suddenly; to alarm.

  3. Beat up as a verb:

    To cause, by some other means, injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up.

  4. Beat up as a verb (reflexive):

    To feel badly guilty and accuse oneself over something. Usually followed by over or about.

    Examples:

    "Don't beat yourself up over such a minor mistake."

  5. Beat up as a verb (military, WW2 air pilots' usage):

    Repeatedly bomb a military target or targets.

  6. Beat up as a verb:

    To get something done, derived from the idea of beating for game

  7. Beat up as a verb (intransitive, nautical):

    To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.

  8. Beat up as a verb (intransitive, dated):

    To disturb; to pay an untimely visit to.

  9. Beat up as a verb (intransitive, dated):

    To go diligently about in order to get helpers or participants in an enterprise.

    Examples:

    "to beat up for recruits, or for volunteers"

  1. Beat up as an adjective (slang):

    Battered by time and usage; beaten up.

  1. Beat up as a noun:

    A person who, or thing that, has been beaten up.

  2. Beat up as a noun (UK, military slang):

    An act of beating up: A raid. A beating; a hazing.

  3. Beat up as a noun (UK, Australia, New Zealand):

    An artificially or disingenuously manufactured alarm or outcry, especially one agitated by or through the media.

  4. Beat up as a noun (forestry):

    A tree planted later than others in a plantation.

  1. Work over as a verb (transitive):

    To improve a prototype, or first draft.

    Examples:

    "The estimated figures are not bad, but somebody will have to work them over."

  2. Work over as a verb (transitive, slang):

    To physically attack in order to cause injury.

    Examples:

    "He'll talk, once we work him over."

  3. Work over as a verb (transitive, slang):

    To subject (a person) to a severe scolding, interrogation, etc.

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