1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
The $30 burger can be found on menus from New York to California, despite efforts to rein in soaring beef prices. — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026 Add beef, onion, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned, about 6 minutes. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 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
  • 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
  • Meanwhile, turbo noise fills the cabin alongside the odd electric motor whine.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of whine
Noun
  • That is sparking a whole industry that markets other peptides — largely unproved and untested — that are said to increase muscle growth, speed recovery and fight aging.
    — Jonathan Fahey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Typical symptoms are a high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle, bone or joint pain, nausea and vomiting, swollen glands, and skin rash.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of muscle
Verb
  • Many advocates and lawmakers have complained that the system updates too slowly and contains too much inaccurate or missing information, allowing ICE to shield the locations of detainees for days or weeks.
    — Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • China is demanding the US ease export bans on high-tech goods, like chipmaking gear; the US bitterly complains about Chinese overproduction and transhipment.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of complain
Noun
  • Mold, mice, dirty bathrooms, overflowing trash cans and unattended animal carcasses are just some of the complaints from teachers in Cook County School District 130—serving Blue Island, Robbins, Alsip, and Crestwood.
    — Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Later that day, Triunfel returned to the apartment and disabled a security camera that had recorded the crime, the complaint states.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of complaint
Noun
  • And Majority Leader John Thune still could hold a roll-call vote on a data center power bill that Democrats blocked on Thursday.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Stone and Robert Icke, for example, have both built careers on transplanting old stories into slick contemporary containers, and, in varying degrees, those containers can come packed with power.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of power
Verb
  • The payoff to that trick leaves Kumail and Gianmarco screaming, first in thrilled disbelief at what Jake pulls off, then in frustration at Maria’s vote.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, Williams screamed out in pain and could not carry himself off the field.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of scream
Noun
  • Letby filed a grievance, saying that she had been removed from her job without justification.
    — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In January, shortly before the war, Iran saw some of its largest nationwide protests in history, which began over the struggling economy and turned to wider grievances.
    — Nasser Karimi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of grievance
Noun
  • For all the fuss the Edmonton Oilers have generated this offseason, the club will enter the 2026-27 season with a largely unchanged roster.
    — Janson Duench, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The Amalfi Coast has become something of a cliché, but this reminds you what all the fuss was about in the first place.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of fuss

Phrases Containing beef

Browse Nearby Words

bee's knees
beef
beefcake
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beef.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beef. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on beef

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beef

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All