beef 1 of 2

noun

ˈbēf How to pronounce beef (audio)
Definition of beefnext
1
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment had to deal with an angry customer with a beef about our service

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in muscle
muscular strength a heavyweight wrestler with a good deal of beef

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

beef

2 of 2

verb

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beef
Noun
Earlier this month, a group of masked men stole about five pallets of beef from a tractor-trailer in Northeast Philadelphia. — Joe Brandt, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Largely thanks to securing the beloved Turano rolls, Wheeler and Iammarino eventually struck gold with their favorite iteration and decided to pave a path toward an Italian beef business in Kansas City. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
Hours after the final bout, he’s scheduled to jet off to the G7 summit in the French Alps for talks with several world leaders he’s been beefing with over war and tariffs. — Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 12 June 2026 Injuries would be a concern, but this is a beefing-up-the-squad signing. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for beef
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beef
  1. whine
  2. muscle
  3. complain
  4. complaint
  5. power
  6. scream
  7. grievance
  8. fuss
Noun
  • Our Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog saw them too and enthusiastically let out a small whine.
    — Kody Lostroh, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The mystic whine of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry’s score carries us into a hidden world of ancient Thai deities living inside the mountain’s caves and tunnels.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of whine
Noun
  • The intention of peptide users is to have the muscle-building effects of anabolic steroids without the side effects of infertility, oily skin, acne, liver inflammation, and so on.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Hip dysplasia and muscle atrophy can also prevent animals from completing training.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of muscle
Verb
  • Someone else even complained about the self-clean feature ruining their appliance.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2026
  • By July, morale among immigration officers had dipped below its nadir during the Biden Administration, with agents now complaining of being overextended, inundated with novice recruits, and undermined by inflammatory rhetoric from on high.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complain
Noun
  • The attorney’s complaint to Internal Affairs alleged Sguros used his position as a police officer to assume control of West’s property and said Sguros was pursuing a civil case related to the home.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • In response, Argentine congresswoman Marcela Pagano filed a criminal complaint with the Federal Court of Puerto Iguazú regarding Bolsonaro’s entry and his subsequent departure on a private plane.
    — Florencia Cabral, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of complaint
Noun
  • Jean Gilles Bernard Camille, a community organizer who lives in a gang stronghold in the capital, said foreign forces have repeatedly underestimated the capacity and power of Haitian gangs and their ability to adapt.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Georgy Tikhomirov, a nuclear physicist at Russia’s MEPhI university, said there is still too little operating experience to assess the actual cost of the electricity and power produced.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of power
Verb
  • Upon arriving at Bottiglierivega's door, a police sergeant heard screaming and spotted blood nearby.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Officers arrived at the scene and found people screaming as a man was lying in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of scream
Noun
  • The nationwide marches were meant to reflect broader dissatisfaction with the French government, with protesters taking to the streets to air a range of different grievances.
    — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Ontide management reported that worker turnover attributable to harassment and unresolved grievances had declined substantially; however, the report did not provide figures to quantify that change.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of grievance
Noun
  • Their clients, like the classic Vegas-chapel clientele, didn’t want the fuss of a giant ceremony or just didn’t have the guests.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When chef Clay Conley and the Ember Group opened the second location of Conley’s popular Palm Beach restaurant Buccan in Coral Gables earlier this year, diners flocked to see what the fuss was about.
    — Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fuss

Phrases Containing beef

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bee's knees
beef
beefcake
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Cite this Entry

“Beef.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beef. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on beef

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beef

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