beat the rap

verb

To escape legal conviction and punishment for a crime which one has been charged with committing; to be acquitted.

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Meanings

verbbeat the rap (third-person singular simple present beats the rap, present participle beating the rap, simple past beat the rap, past participle beaten the rap or (colloquial) beat the rap)

present singular third person beats the rap · participle present beating the rap · participle past beaten the rap

  1. slangTo escape legal conviction and punishment for a crime which one has been charged with committing; to be acquitted.
Cite this entry
APA

beat the rap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20the%20rap

MLA

“beat the rap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20the%20rap. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beat the rap,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20the%20rap.

Source: beat the rap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.