beef

noun

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\ ˈbēf

plural beefs\ ˈbēfs

\ or beeves\ ˈbēvz

Definition of beef

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2a : 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

beef

verb

beefed; beefing; beefs

Definition of beef (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Illustration of beef

Noun

beef 2b: 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

In the meaning defined above

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about beef

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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 For the record, the curry just barely eked out the win over the restaurant’s beef noodle bowl, with its thick, starchy noodles swimming in a spicy broth that is bright with grassy aromatic cilantro. — Mara Severin, Anchorage Daily News, "Spicy takeout is getting our dining reviewer through winter. Here are her favorite orders.," 25 Feb. 2021 Every Lenten season, fast food restaurants push their versions of a fried fish sandwich as an alternative to ground beef for those observing and abstaining from burgers. — Jenn Harris Senior Food Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Who makes the best fast-food fried fish sandwich?," 25 Feb. 2021 Soups, including a subtle beef broth, come with a choice of thin or wide noodles; the latter, made with the wheat common in northern China, are rolled out in-house. — Washington Post, "Tom Sietsema’s 8 favorite places to eat right now," 23 Feb. 2021 Early on, Dimitri’s was known for Greek food, beef kabobs and gyros. — Craig Clary, baltimoresun.com, "Dimitri’s International Grille, a Catonsville institution, to close on March 14," 23 Feb. 2021 Add beef broth and scrape all of the good bits from the pan. — John Stanton | Gambit Editor, NOLA.com, "Don’t forget to feed your belly after feeding your soul on Mardi Gras," 8 Feb. 2021 Add the beef broth and wine, increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to establish a gentle simmer. — San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: Classic Lasagna alla Bolognese," 2 Feb. 2021 Add the beef broth and stir with a whisk until the spice mixture is completely dissolved. — ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Texas Beef Chuck Roast Chili," 9 Nov. 2020 One exception is in the chicken category, which McDonald's says is growing faster than beef. — Beth Kowitt, Fortune, "McDonald’s responds to the pandemic with faster drive-thrus, loyalty points, and a new chicken sandwich," 9 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Europe’s largest bank is shifting billions of dollars to beef up operations across Asia, seeking to become a market leader in wealth management by targeting a rapidly expanding affluent population in the region. — Ambereen Choudhury, Fortune, "HSBC unveils plan to invest $6 billion in Asia," 23 Feb. 2021 In a video statement, Mama Shu said Avalon Village will need to beef up its security, build up fences, install cameras and protect all children who use their services. — Slone Terranella, Detroit Free Press, "Highland Park leader's son ambushed, fatally shot: 'The pain is indescribable'," 1 Feb. 2021 The Kansas Statehouse will beef up security measures, closing down visitor access to parking, giving keycard access only through the visitor entrance and requiring those with keycard access to show badges. — Jordan Culver, USA TODAY, "Protest live updates: As state Capitols step up security, DC locks down ahead of inauguration," 17 Jan. 2021 Digital discounts can beef up your gaming library, too—perfect for long, hedonistic weekends. — Louryn Strampe, Wired, "Put Your Gift Cards to Use With These After-Christmas Sales," 26 Dec. 2020 The announcement of new features follows news Monday that Cisco plans to acquire two companies whose products will help (for the love of god please) beef up its service. — Allison Morrow, CNN, "Apple's new headphones cost about half a Peloton bike," 8 Dec. 2020 Banks have hired thousands of employees to beef up anti-money laundering and financial crime teams, and some withdrew from certain countries and dropped correspondent-banking ties with hundreds of smaller lenders. — Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, "Bank Shares Dip With $2 Trillion of Suspect Flows Under Scrutiny," 20 Sep. 2020 Many lawmakers point out that the bill contains several provisions to beef up defenses against the kind of cyberattack that has compromised so many federal agencies. — Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, "Scale of massive cyberattack that penetrated multiple government agencies prompts joint response from law enforcement and intelligence agencies," 17 Dec. 2020 Helped by record gold prices, that’s led to a flurry of deals across the sector as smaller producers beef up their scale. — Thomas Biesheuvel, Bloomberg.com, "Endeavour to Buy Rival Teranga Gold in $1.86 Billion Deal," 16 Nov. 2020

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.