beef

noun \ ˈbēf \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: beef in a Sentence

Definition of beef

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 average American eats 79.3 pounds of beef every year.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "In Defense of Off-Roading," 12 July 2018
The final winner — the local champion royale of ground beef on a bun — will be decided by popular vote on Monday, July 16.

— bethany jean clement, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s top 4 burger spots — ranked by Seattle Times critics," 10 July 2018
José Gordon poses with cuts of beef at his Bodega El Capricho.

— oliver griffin, WSJ, "Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years," 10 July 2018
The company best known for its breakfasts already had burgers on the menu but had started using the IHOb name on social media, its website and for in-store promotions to draw attention to a new line of burgers made of Black Angus ground beef.

— alexandra deabler, Fox News, "IHOP admits to faking IHOb name change for publicity," 9 July 2018
Use only salt and pepper, after forming the patties, to showcase the full flavor of beef.

— jim shahin, charlotteobserver, "The best way to grill a burger keeps it off the grate," 6 July 2018
The thin slices of beef going from red to pale pink.

— New York Times, "The Restaurant That Became Japan’s Unofficial Ambassador," 3 July 2018
China alone is a huge importer of beef, and cattle ranching is the largest single cause of deforestation, according to a WRI working paper on deforestation-free supply chains.

— National Geographic, "Tropical Forest Loss Slowed in 2017—To the Second Worst Total Ever," 27 June 2018
Talbert marked the restaurant's final day by enjoying a plate of roast beef.

— ann zaniewski, Detroit Free Press, "Sign of the Beefcarver in Dearborn closes," 18 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

Definition of beef

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

And several casinos beefed up the security in anticipation of the summer outdoor concert season.

— michele parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Pechanga using security robots to monitor casino resort," 9 July 2018
Also, the last two versions of the restrictions beefed up exceptions and conditions for granting waivers.

— laurence arnold, Bloomberg.com, "Who's Welcome (or Not) in U.S. After Trump Ban Upheld," 27 June 2018
For their part, Democrats have offered their support for legislation to protect young immigrants from deportation while beefing up border security.

— thomas kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, "House rejects immigration overhaul despite Trump's late plea," 27 June 2018
Adidas is putting way more stock into its celebrity partnerships with the likes of Kanye and Pharrell, while Nike is beefing up its partnerships with fashion designers like Kim Jones, Riccardo Tisci, and Virgil Abloh.

— cam wolf, GQ, "Jay-Z Named Head of Puma’s Relaunched Basketball Division," 19 June 2018
The bill, titled the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, also included measures aimed at keeping those with mental illnesses from owning guns and beefed up security at schools.

— gray rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "NRA candidate questions provide test of new gun politics," 7 June 2018
Johnson instead asked Martin, who was a military police officer, to beef up the team’s security detail.

— roy bragg, San Antonio Express-News, "Love and basketball, for reals," 24 May 2018
Kitties will go nuts for the Chicken & Salmon Rustic Blend, which is beefed up with superfoods like coconut oil and turmeric.

— Sunset, "10 Best Healthy Pet Treats," 22 Jan. 2018
That happened in 2017 after the Kansas Legislature beefed up the Kansas Amusement Ride Act.

— steve vockrodt and lauren fox, kansascity, "Schlitterbahn to tear down Verruckt water slide in KCK where young boy died in 2016," 12 July 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

Definition of beef for English Language Learners

: meat from a cow
: muscles

BEEF Defined for Kids

beef

noun \ ˈbēf \

Definition of beef for Students

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

Definition of beef for Students

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 \

medical Definition of beef

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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beef

Definition of beef

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Examples of beef in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of beef

beef Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Food Terms

beef

Definition of 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

Phrases Related to BEEF

Related Phrases

BEEF Defined for English Language Learners

beef

Definition of beef for English Language Learners

BEEF Defined for Kids

beef

Definition of beef for Students

beef

Definition of beef for Students

Medical Dictionary

beef

medical Definition of beef

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