beef

1 of 2

noun

plural beefs ˈbēfs How to pronounce beef (audio) or beeves ˈbēvz How to pronounce beef (audio)
1
: the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (such as a steer or cow) used as food
2
a
: an ox, cow, or bull in a full-grown or nearly full-grown state
especially : a steer or cow fattened for food
quality Texas beeves
a herd of good beef
b
: a dressed carcass of a beef animal
3
: muscular flesh : brawn
4
plural beefs : complaint

Illustration of beef

Illustration of beef
  • A wholesale cuts
  • 1 shank
  • 2 round with rump and shank cut off
  • 3 rump
  • 4 sirloin
  • 5 short loin
  • 6 flank
  • 7 rib
  • 8 chuck
  • 9 plate
  • 10 brisket
  • 11 shank
  • B retail cuts
  • a heel pot roast
  • b round steak
  • c rump roast
  • d sirloin steak
  • e pinbone steak
  • f short ribs
  • g porterhouse
  • h T-bone
  • i club steak
  • j flank steak
  • k rib roast
  • l blade rib roast
  • m plate
  • n brisket
  • o crosscut shank
  • p arm pot roast
  • q boneless neck
  • r blade roast

beef

2 of 2

verb

beefed; beefing; beefs

transitive verb

: to increase or add substance, strength, or power to
usually used with up
money to beef up its staff of professional economistsJohn Fischer

intransitive verb

: complain
always beefing about something

Examples of beef in a Sentence

Noun I'm not eating as much beef as I used to. My real beef is with the organization's president, not the group itself. Verb She's always beefing about something. he tends to stand around and beef for hours about any slight, real or imagined
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Learn biscuits at 11:30am, shrimp at 1:30pm and beef at 3:30pm. Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 18 Oct. 2024 Other menu items included Japanese wagyu beef, scallops and ice cream dessert. Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 15 Oct. 2024
Verb
The per-serving climate impact of sheep’s meat is also significant, second only to beef. Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024 Ali Wong starred as Amy Lau, a small business owner who has her own marital problems and is beefing with Danny Cho, played by Steven Yeun. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beef 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beef.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French beof, bef ox, beef, from Latin bov-, bos head of cattle — more at cow

Verb

verbal derivative of beef entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of beef was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near beef

Cite this Entry

“Beef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beef. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

beef

1 of 2 noun
plural beefs ˈbēfs How to pronounce beef (audio) or beeves ˈbēvz How to pronounce beef (audio)
1
: the flesh of a steer, cow, or bull
2
: a steer, cow, or bull especially when fattened for food
3
plural beefs : complaint sense 1
beeflike
-ˌlīk
adjective

beef

2 of 2 verb
1
: to add weight, strength, or power to
usually used with up
beef up the staff
2

Medical Definition

beef

noun
plural beefs ˈbēfs How to pronounce beef (audio) or beeves ˈbēvz How to pronounce beef (audio)
: the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (as a steer or cow) used as food

More from Merriam-Webster on beef

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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