beat the rap
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To escape legal conviction and punishment for a crime which one has been charged with committing; to be acquitted.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “beat the rap” mean?
To escape legal conviction and punishment for a crime which one has been charged with committing; to be acquitted.
Is “beat the rap” formal or informal?
beat the rap is generally slang.