the bejesus
noun
informal
—used for emphasis after words like scare, frighten, and beat
That movie scared the bejesus out of me.
They beat the bejesus out of the other team.
Examples of the bejesus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those companies sued the bejesus out of prominent election deniers, including Fox News (which settled with Dominion for just under $800 million), Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, Trump sorta-lawyer-but-now-disbarred Rudy Giuliani and that dude who sells pillows.
—
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Zoom in: Just about every neighborhood in RVA has a house where locals went all out to scare the bejesus out of you, or just offer some whimsical holiday fun (like an alien invasion).
—Karri Peifer, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
If reading this book inspired by a true story of a child possessed by demons doesn’t scare the bejesus out of you, nothing will.
—Sharon Virts, People.com, 5 Oct. 2024
The unachievable ideal of, say, a 95% voter turnout in any election would scare the bejesus out of practically everyone in political power.
—Jay Reddick, Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2024
The Redondo Beach Pier, first built in 1888 as a lumber wharf, burned spectacularly in 1988, perhaps from an electrical short from damage by two immense storms that had just beaten the bejesus out of the place.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
Anger is at the core of this knockabout take on the sports movie, with Sandler's titular would-be hockey star turning to golf to make bankable use of his undeniable skills in beating the bejesus out of things with a stick.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Zoom in: Just about every neighborhood in RVA has a house where locals went all out to scare the bejesus out of you, or just offer some whimsical holiday fun (like an alien invasion).
—Karri Peifer, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
If reading this book inspired by a true story of a child possessed by demons doesn’t scare the bejesus out of you, nothing will.
—Sharon Virts, People.com, 5 Oct. 2024
The unachievable ideal of, say, a 95% voter turnout in any election would scare the bejesus out of practically everyone in political power.
—Jay Reddick, Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2024
The Redondo Beach Pier, first built in 1888 as a lumber wharf, burned spectacularly in 1988, perhaps from an electrical short from damage by two immense storms that had just beaten the bejesus out of the place.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
Anger is at the core of this knockabout take on the sports movie, with Sandler's titular would-be hockey star turning to golf to make bankable use of his undeniable skills in beating the bejesus out of things with a stick.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near the bejesus
Cite this Entry
“The bejesus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20bejesus. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share