beef

noun \ ˈbēf \

|Updated on: 25 Jun 2018

Examples: beef in a Sentence

plural beefs play \ˈbēfs\ or beeves play \ˈbēvz\

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

See beef defined for English-language learners

See beef defined for kids

Examples of beef in a Sentence

I'm not eating as much beef as I used to.
My real beef is with the organization's president, not the group itself.

Recent Examples of beef from the Web

The most difficult part of the negotiations was likely to revolve around New Zealand's exports of dairy, beef and sheep products, Malmstrom said.

— nick perry, chicagotribune.com, "EU says tax on Harleys aimed to 'make noise' in trade debate," 21 June 2018
Is there a restaurant in Fort Worth that serves roast beef and Yorkshire pudding?

— bud kennedy, star-telegram, "A burger mystery in Pantego: Where's Chop House?," 20 June 2018
In retaliation, China proposed its own tariffs targeting $50 billion in U.S. goods, including pork, beef and cars.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Trump administration blames Dems, Obama for immigration problems, says Left uses kids as pawns," 19 June 2018
The Sign of the Beefcarver on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn is closing Monday after more than 50 years of serving up freshly sliced roast beef and other comfort foods.

— ann zaniewski, Detroit Free Press, "Sign of the Beefcarver in Dearborn closes," 18 June 2018
Dishes like pappardelle with slow-braised beef and mushrooms and lumache with marinara and ricotta are standouts.

— sarah fritsche, SFChronicle.com, "Best new restaurants and bars to visit in the Mission right now," 17 June 2018
The fact that China now is buying beef and poultry and dairy for the first time in about 15 years.

— NBC News, "Meet the Press - June 17, 2018," 17 June 2018
Usually the wild animals are highly sought-after as popular sources of protein along with beef and pork, and cargo ships carrying the smoked meat arrive daily in the city, the trade hub for Congo’s northwestern Equateur province.

— Washington Post, "Congo’s Ebola outbreak poses challenges for bush meat," 17 June 2018
Alice Christner attributes that to the restaurant’s commitment to quality beef and seafood.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Christner's Prime Steak & Lobster celebrates 25 years," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beef.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of beef

Origin and Etymology of beef

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

beef Synonyms

Synonyms

bleat, carp, complaint, fuss, grievance, gripe, grouch, grouse, grumble, holler, lament, moan, murmur, plaint, squawk, wail, whimper, whine, yammer;

Near Antonyms

commendation, compliment, plaudit;

acclaim, applause, praise;

approval, endorsement (also indorsement), sanction;

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

beef

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 economists
—John Fischer

intransitive verb

: complain

always beefing about something

See beef defined for English-language learners

Examples of beef in a Sentence

She's always beefing about something.
he tends to stand around and beef for hours about any slight, real or imagined

Recent Examples of beef from the Web

His other recommendations include beefing up security and hiring more school counselor.

— andrea zelinski, Houston Chronicle, "Texas wants citizen help preventing school shootings, criminal activity," 8 June 2018
Still, MyHeritage is taking steps to beef up security and suggests users change their passwords.

— kirsten korosec, Fortune, "Ancestry Site MyHeritage Says 92 Million User Accounts Have Been Compromised," 5 June 2018
Brown has set a limit of 400 troops to be used to beef up border security, targeting criminal gangs, human traffickers and smugglers moving guns and drugs statewide, not just along the international line.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Initial deployment of California troops arrive at the border," 14 May 2018
Los Angeles Times -- The California National Guard is heading to the border in what marks the first deployment under Gov. Jerry Brown's deal with the Trump administration to beef up border security.

— benjamin oreskes, latimes.com, "Essential California: In the DNA," 30 Apr. 2018
Security at the school has been beefed up in the wake of stories about the rocks.

— leada gore, AL.com, "School arms students with river rocks in case of an intruder," 26 Mar. 2018
Nerelli said a committee was meeting next week to discuss whether to beef up security in his schools with things such as armed guards and metal detectors.

— Philly.com, "After Florida school shooting, Philly-area students and teachers mobilize," 21 Feb. 2018
Haslam handed the keys to the front office over to GM John Dorsey, who has beefed it up with Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf.

— dan labbe, cleveland.com, "John Dorsey has built his front office and Browns fans should feel good about its potential," 10 Jan. 2018
Cybersecurity is hard, especially on sprawling, aging networks where the funding to beef up security can oftentimes only be found after something has already gone wrong.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "German Nuclear Power Plant Found to Be Just Rotten With Malware," 27 Apr. 2016

Origin and Etymology of beef

verbal derivative of ¹beef

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1860

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

beef Synonyms

Phrases

kick up a fuss;

BEEF Defined for English Language Learners

beef

noun

: meat from a cow
: muscles

BEEF Defined for Kids

beef

noun \ ˈbēf \

plural beefs \ˈbēfs\ or beeves \ˈbēvz\

1 : the meat of a steer, cow, or bull

2 : a steer, cow, or bull especially when fattened for food

3 plural beefs : complaint 2

beef

verb

beefed; beefing

: complain

He's always beefing about something.

— beef up

: to add weight, strength, or power to

The coach beefed up the team's defense.

Medical Dictionary

beef

noun \ ˈbēf \

plural beefs play \ˈbēfs\ or beeves play \ˈbēvz\

: the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (as a steer or cow) used as food

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See words that rhyme with beef Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for beef Spanish Central: Translation of beef Nglish: Translation of beef for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of beef for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beef

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Examples of beef in a Sentence

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Illustration of beef

Origin and Etymology of beef

beef Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Food Terms

beef

Examples of beef in a Sentence

Recent Examples of beef from the Web

Origin and Etymology of beef

beef Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

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BEEF Defined for English Language Learners

beef

BEEF Defined for Kids

beef

beef

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beef

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