Years of failure had 'beaten' him 'down'. [=had caused him to lose hope or spirit]
This problem has 'beaten' everyone. [=no one has been able to solve this problem]
a politician who is getting 'beat/beaten up' by liberal/conservative critics
(..) Which one's the good bottle? Course. Child's play. Well, which one, then? Which one would you have picked? Just so I know whether I could have beaten you. Come on! Play the game. Oh! Interesting. So what do you think? (..)2010 TvShow: Sherlock Title: A Study in Pink Season: 1 Episode 1