beef

noun \ ˈbēf \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

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

Ground beef, steak or chicken fajita and pork carnitas make up the protein lineup.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Taco Maker Mexican Grill opening second Orlando location," 11 Apr. 2018
There are appetizers — flat, fried dumplings; grilled quail; and chewy, bland skewers made with beef or chicken.

— jonathan gold, latimes.com, "There’s crocodile and hog stomach, but Jonathan Gold is all about the crusty rice at Nature Pagoda," 6 Apr. 2018
Just the threat of a 25 percent tariff by Beijing Wednesday (on aircraft, cars, beef, and chemicals as well as soybeans) sent soybean futures prices down 4 percent before recovering somewhat.

— laurent belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "In US-China trade spat, soybeans symbolize two economies intertwined," 5 Apr. 2018
The second night will be conducted by Kramarow and the choice will be teriyaki salmon, brisket or beef or veggie option.

— sergio carmona, Jewish Journal, "South Florida synagogues to host Passover seders with the comforts of home," 8 Mar. 2018
Substitute a quarter of the amount of ground beef or turkey called for in a recipe, such as tacos or meatloaf, with beans.

— judy walker, NOLA.com, "Grocery shop on Wednesdays, and more money-saving food secrets," 6 Feb. 2018
Mix and match ingredients based on what’s on hand in your refrigerator and pantry — leftover cut-up cooked chicken, beef, or turkey, beans, noodles, rice, vegetables, and herbs are all good soup additions.

— carole kotkin, miamiherald, "It’s time for a soothing bowl of steaming soup | Miami Herald," 5 Feb. 2018
Fatayeh at Golden Bakery come four for $4.99, your choice of beef or chicken.

— tom hanchett, charlotteobserver, "Five best bites along international Albemarle Road | Charlotte Observer," 31 Jan. 2018
Precook sausage, ground beef or bacon; drain off fat.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "Pizza on the menu for Super Bowl Sunday? Here’s how to elevate your game," 30 Jan. 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

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

Robots Some hotels are using robots to beef up customer service.

— tobey grumet segal, Condé Nast Traveler, "How Hotels Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Your Stay," 4 Apr. 2018
In addition to the existing content, Apple Music has beefed up its exclusive video content this week with new clips by Beck, Kylie Minogue, A Tribe Called Quest and others.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "Apple Music Updates App to Spotlight Popular, Curated Videos," 29 Mar. 2018
Under Haynes, Point72 Asset Management beefed up oversight, adding a 50-person compliance team housed on the trading floor that monitors emails and phone calls.

— Bloomberg.com, "Cohen Scrutinizes Culture at Point72 After Haynes’s Departure," 19 Mar. 2018
The state beefed up construction plans already underway so the highway could survive future flooding and to fight the thawing of permafrost beneath the roadbed.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Pricey projects loom for Alaska as erosion threatens runways, roads and more," 9 Mar. 2018
In 1988, Congress also beefed up the law’s enforcement mechanisms and increased the penalties associated with violating it.

— rachel m. cohen, New Republic, "The Fight for the Suburbs," 17 Jan. 2018
Russia, in the midst of a major rearmament program, has embarked upon its biggest military push in the Arctic — beefing up its military presence and capabilities — since the 1991 Soviet fall.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Russia claims first post-Soviet military training flight across Arctic to North America," 29 Mar. 2018
After independent producers in West Texas like Concho and RSP helped lead the initial Permian shale boom, the focus switched last year to Big Oil players like Exxon Mobil and Chevron beefing up their Permian positions.

— jordan blum, Houston Chronicle, "Concho Resources to buy RSP Permian in $8 billion West Texas merger," 28 Mar. 2018
Most conspicuously, in the wake of the carnage at a Connecticut elementary school just before Christmas in 2012, gun control advocates settled upon and rallied behind a proposal to beef up the system of background checks on legal firearms purchases.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Finally, some real talk about the Second Amendment," 28 Mar. 2018

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

Learn More about beef

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

Medical Dictionary

beef

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