1
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
had to deal with an angry customer with a beef about our service
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in muscle
muscular strength
a heavyweight wrestler with a good deal of beef
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
he tends to stand around and beef for hours about any slight, real or imagined
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of beef
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Some of the most popular dishes are chicken cutlets, sausage and peppers, meatballs, penne, beef stew and the deep dish, Sicilian pizza.
—Sarah Kyrcz, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Lily Ritter, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
Efforts at beefing them up priced them out of existence.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beef
Noun
The anthology series, which focused on a beef between characters played by Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in its last iteration in 2023 (and subsequently won eight Emmys), will this time focus on a Gen Z couple played by Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Some of the most popular dishes are chicken cutlets, sausage and peppers, meatballs, penne, beef stew and the deep dish, Sicilian pizza.
—Sarah Kyrcz, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Smith launched their original Slider sunglasses in 1995, leaning into the nineties silhouette and beefing it up with the first patented dual-lens interchangeable system.
—Lily Ritter, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
Efforts at beefing them up priced them out of existence.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beef
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beef
Noun
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Village sounds of chickens and goats were pierced by the distant whine of commercial jets climbing out of Agadir’s international airport.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
No suspicious whine in the air, no burning of pungent oils to put off biters.—
Antonia Quirke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While many inside Canada’s national team originally anticipated Davies returning to the national team later this month after the muscle fiber issue, his latest injury has derailed those plans.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Texas Tech star Christian Anderson strained a muscle after slipping in his team’s blowout loss to Iowa State on Thursday.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the hosts yelled repeatedly about the results, complained about just about everything and dropped a lot of F-bombs.—
Jacobina Martin,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Some workers complain that receiving calls and messages can interrupt their recordings, and having a phone strapped to their head is uncomfortable.—
NILESH CHRISTOPHER LOS ANGELES TIMES,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The default ruling means that Rourke failed to take action to defend against the eviction complaint within the time allowed by law.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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The complaint requested that the judge find the administration’s policy violates the First and Fifth Amendments and bar it from being implemented.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The star power between the United States and Dominican Republic arguably rivaled any matchup seen on a baseball diamond before.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Some runways really have that brain chemistry-altering power, and the spectacle that Marc Jacobs created for the Louis Vuitton fall 2012 show is one such example.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The cover art shows Robyn screaming and topless.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
-
One fan’s decision to belt out power ballads instead of just screaming during Stanford’s free throws at the ACC Tournament has turned into the most shareable fan moment heading into March Madness.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mutiny includes no college grads in dead-end jobs whose grievances have turned them toward MAGA rather than union activism—young men and women recruited by Turning Point USA while still in college.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Both grievances remain pending.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Yannick Nézét-Séguin let the prelude speak with minimal fuss, then unspooled the rest of the score with total control, pulling the thread taut, relaxing it, and increasing the tension again, until by the end the orchestra bloomed into rapture.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Salmon is an increasingly popular fish that’s easy to prepare at home with minimal fuss.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Video
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English was never the same after the Norman Conquest
Cite this Entry
“Beef.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beef. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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