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tabasser

to beat up, thrash

verb tah-bah-SEH Less Common

Usage Note

tabasser is an informal/colloquial verb meaning to physically beat someone. It is not a term used in formal writing or polite registers. Se faire tabasser ('to get beaten up') is the common passive construction. The noun tabassage or tabassée (a beating) derives from the same root. Learners should recognise it in films and street speech.

Examples

"Il s'est fait tabasser dans la rue."

Natural Translation

He got beaten up in the street.

Literal Translation

He made himself beaten up in the street.

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