beef up
phrasal verb
beefed up; beefing up; beefs up
informal
: to add weight, strength, or power to (something)
Security around the city will be beefed up during the event.
a politician looking to beef his image up
Examples of beef up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In anticipation of a possible ceremony at the palace, Haiti National Police had beefed up security around the Champs de Mars, the public square across from the palace that has become a battlefield in gangs’ attempts to take the palace.
—
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024
After signing a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for migrants, the government proposed the new legislation declaring Rwanda to be a safe country.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
In free agency, the Chargers beefed up their backfield and signed one of the league’s top blocking tight ends as new coach Jim Harbaugh put into motion his promise to make the team more physical.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The United States and Japan are dramatically beefing up their military cooperation and intelligence sharing, President Joe Biden said Wednesday, in an announcement widely seen as an effort to check an increasingly aggressive China.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024
Virginia 12-month inflation: 3.8% The state has drawn residents, particularly to Northern Virginia, as the federal government in nearby Washington, D.C., has beefed up staffing following legislation to expand investments in infrastructure, chip manufacturing and clean energy, Zandi says.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The chamber’s list of targets includes another unemployment insurance measure, Senate Bill 1434, which would raise taxes on employers to beef up the unemployment fund, although the extent of the increase is not yet specified.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Following his death, companies vowed to beef up their DEI efforts to make their staff more racially and culturally representative.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
The country has been able to leverage some of its $1.6 trillion sovereign wealth fund to provide generous tax breaks to drivers while also beefing up its electric infrastructure.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 Apr. 2024
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024
After signing a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for migrants, the government proposed the new legislation declaring Rwanda to be a safe country.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
In free agency, the Chargers beefed up their backfield and signed one of the league’s top blocking tight ends as new coach Jim Harbaugh put into motion his promise to make the team more physical.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The United States and Japan are dramatically beefing up their military cooperation and intelligence sharing, President Joe Biden said Wednesday, in an announcement widely seen as an effort to check an increasingly aggressive China.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024
Virginia 12-month inflation: 3.8% The state has drawn residents, particularly to Northern Virginia, as the federal government in nearby Washington, D.C., has beefed up staffing following legislation to expand investments in infrastructure, chip manufacturing and clean energy, Zandi says.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The chamber’s list of targets includes another unemployment insurance measure, Senate Bill 1434, which would raise taxes on employers to beef up the unemployment fund, although the extent of the increase is not yet specified.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Following his death, companies vowed to beef up their DEI efforts to make their staff more racially and culturally representative.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
The country has been able to leverage some of its $1.6 trillion sovereign wealth fund to provide generous tax breaks to drivers while also beefing up its electric infrastructure.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beef up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Beef up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beef%20up. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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