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
The Office of Professional Responsibility has since beefed up its operations, nearly doubling its investigator workforce, but questions remain about the office’s independence, especially because more than half of those new hires are former Border Patrol agents, according to the report.
—
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2024
The move by Bass, who heads the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, marks a significant departure for the agency, which opted not to beef up law enforcement’s presence to reduce drug use, crime and disruptive behavior.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
During the pandemic, the Independence City Council voted to spend $4 million to beef up the city’s cybersecurity protections and upgrade the outdated computer network.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2024
However, the city has beefed up its historic preservation department by adding more staff to enable property owners to get necessary credentials for state and federal grants to help restore their buildings.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2024
Since the gang insurrection began on Feb. 29, Haitian government officials have demolished about 200 homes around the airport —to keep gangs from using rooftops to fire at planes — and beefed up security around the airport’s perimeter.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
Based in Atlanta, Desai runs a business that offers junior doctors from around the world a chance to beef up their CVs before applying for coveted residency or fellowship positions at hospitals or physician offices in the United States.
—Byfrederik Joelving, science.org, 3 May 2024
Schools have also beefed up policies requiring academics to disclose foreign funding.
—Kate O'Keeffe, Fortune, 3 May 2024
The axis of resentment — China, Russia and Iran — is on the march, making the world a more dangerous place and possibly necessitating a surge in military spending and a rapid need to beef up our military manufacturing infrastructure.
—David Brooks, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2024
The move by Bass, who heads the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, marks a significant departure for the agency, which opted not to beef up law enforcement’s presence to reduce drug use, crime and disruptive behavior.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
During the pandemic, the Independence City Council voted to spend $4 million to beef up the city’s cybersecurity protections and upgrade the outdated computer network.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2024
However, the city has beefed up its historic preservation department by adding more staff to enable property owners to get necessary credentials for state and federal grants to help restore their buildings.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2024
Since the gang insurrection began on Feb. 29, Haitian government officials have demolished about 200 homes around the airport —to keep gangs from using rooftops to fire at planes — and beefed up security around the airport’s perimeter.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
Based in Atlanta, Desai runs a business that offers junior doctors from around the world a chance to beef up their CVs before applying for coveted residency or fellowship positions at hospitals or physician offices in the United States.
—Byfrederik Joelving, science.org, 3 May 2024
Schools have also beefed up policies requiring academics to disclose foreign funding.
—Kate O'Keeffe, Fortune, 3 May 2024
The axis of resentment — China, Russia and Iran — is on the march, making the world a more dangerous place and possibly necessitating a surge in military spending and a rapid need to beef up our military manufacturing infrastructure.
—David Brooks, The Mercury News, 1 May 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 22 May. 2024.
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