Crossword Genius

Beat as before and drive back (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

repulse

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'drive back' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'beat as before' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'beat' could be 'pulse' (synonyms) and 'pulse' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 're' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for repulse that I've seen before include "Drive back by force" , "Check" , "Rudely reject" , "Be disgusting - drive back" , "Battlecruiser" .)

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