Beat-up describes something that looks worn out, damaged, or shabby from heavy use or rough treatment. A beat-up backpack might have torn straps, faded fabric, and scuff marks from years of being stuffed with books and tossed on the ground. A beat-up car could have dents, rust spots, and a cracked windshield.

The phrase suggests something has taken a lot of wear over time. Your favorite baseball glove becomes beat-up after thousands of catches. An old teddy bear gets beat-up from being hugged, dragged around, and washed repeatedly. A beat-up notebook has dog-eared pages, coffee stains, and a cover barely hanging on.

Beat-up things often still work perfectly fine. That beat-up skateboard might look rough, but it could ride just as well as a brand new one. Sometimes people treasure beat-up objects precisely because those dents and scratches tell stories of adventures and memories. A musician's beat-up guitar or a chef's beat-up cutting board shows years of dedication and use.

The term can also describe a person who looks exhausted or has been through a difficult experience, though this usage is more casual: “After that tough soccer practice, I felt pretty beat-up.”